The King's Heir
by Howard blake
Summary: Jaune Arc has always dreamed about being a hero ever since he was a small boy. Thanks to the training he received from his grandfather, he was ready to attend Beacon Academy. Now he's going to have to undergo various trials in order to become a Hunter. All the while discovering the secrets of the mysterious sword that had been given to him by his grandpa.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys it's me. I thought I might try my luck in writing a RWBY fanfic after recently discovering this series (I really hope they continue) featuring a strong and impressive Jaune Arc. I just think he can do a lot more. I don't own RWBY. **

* * *

Jaune grinned as he parried a strike aimed at his left side and sidestepped a follow up thrust to his abdomen. He quickly retaliated by unleashing a series of strong and precise cuts at his opponent. His attacks came close to hitting their marks but the other swordsman was no pushover himself and managed to deflect all of them.

Both of the combatants stepped back from each other to catch their breath for a moment.

"I think I almost had you back there." Jaune said as he casually rested his sword on his shoulder.

The other man snorted. "Oh please, don't get ahead of yourself boy."

The blonde teenager shrugged. "Whatever you say old man, shall we continue?"

The man just grunted as they both fell back into their stance. He approved of the boy's combat position. His legs wide apart enough to maintain strong balance. A firm yet relaxed grip on his sword. Shield at the ready. The boy also had his eyes locked onto the person in front of him. Studying, watching, and observing even the slightest movements.

_Good, he remembers lesson number five well. _The man thought.

Always watch your opponent.

Jaune adjusted his footing slightly. He knew that the old man was just waiting for him to make a move. In some scenarios, making the first move in a battle could be a serious mistake if you don't know what you're rushing into but that wasn't always the case. Sometimes you need to strike the first blow to gain the upper hand.

The young man then poised his sword and lunged at the old man.

"Boy, what did I tell you about charging in blindly?" The man waited for the lad to get closer. He'd knock him off his high horse after he parried the thrust and introduced his shield to the boy's head.

However, Jaune had something else in mind for his grandfather.

He grinned. _Watch this old man._

As soon as he was close enough, he made his move. The moment his grandfather moved to parry the thrust, Jaune tucked into a roll and ended up in a crouch to his opponent's left. Instead of his sword, the blonde used his shield to ram into his grandfather's. The elder Arc was surprised by the sudden turn of events and was unable to prepare himself accordingly.

Jonah Arc was sent stumbling back for a few steps. However, his grandson did not allow him to gain a moment of respite as he pushed forward into the offensive. Jonah did his best to guard but it was becoming an uphill battle.

Jaune pressed his advantage. He sent a series of fluid strikes and slashes that pushed his grandfather back. One of the most important things his grandfather taught him was to keep your opponents off balance while maintaining your own.

In one fluid underhand strike, Jaune managed to send his grandfather's sword flying into the air. The young Arc then shoved his grandfather using his shield, causing the older Arc to trip on a protruding rock from the ground. He landed on his back hard.

When he looked up, he saw two swords poised like a scissor on either side of his neck. His grandson had managed to catch his sword.

"Yield," Jaune said as he stood over his opponent.

Just then, Jonah bellowed in laughter. "By the gods, boy, that was impressive."

"Thanks gramps," Jaune said as he helped his grandfather up and gave him back his sword. "Wow, I think that was the first time I ever beat you."

"Indeed. At least you can see that all of our hard work finally bore fruit." Jonah patted the teenager on the shoulder. "Now do me a favour and fetch us some water."

As the boy rushed off to the nearby stream, Jonah sat down on a large tree root and wheezed a little bit. By Remnant, his back was killing him. He didn't know if he had anymore of those fights left in him. Jonah was doing his hardest to keep up with his grandson. He could have blocked and countered that last move but his body struggled to act accordingly.

His old age was catching up to him.

Jonah sighed and rubbed his back to soothe the pain. "Give it up old timer. Your hunting days are over."

He stared down the path where Jaune had taken into the forest. He had improved dramatically these past seven years. Ever since he had decided to one day become a hunter, the boy had practically been on his knees asking Jonah to train him. His parents were hesitant at first but in the end they relented.

Nevertheless, as time passed, he began to see real potential in the boy. Admittedly he could be a klutz most of the time and sometimes had a tendency to stick his foot up his mouth but Jonah managed to drill some important social skills into that thick skull of his and the ungainliness gradually lessened a bit over the years. However, despite his clumsy and awkward personality, the lad was also brave, dependable, smart, and most of all, determined.

Coming to a decision, Jonah reached over to his pack and pulled out a sword wrapped in leather and examined it.

"Soon, you won't be an old relic in the basement anymore."

* * *

Jaune casually made his way to the freshwater spring a couple of yards away from their practice area. He whistled an easy tune as he recalled the recent events that had just transpired. After all these years, he had finally managed to beat his grandpa in a spar.

The idea should have filled him with elation but somehow it just didn't feel right.

Contrary to popular belief, Jaune could be very perceptive about certain things. He knew his grandfather was starting to feel his age and therefore couldn't fight as well as he should have. Had his grandfather been the same man he was thirty years ago, Jaune would be a stain on the ground.

"This sucks." Jaune sighed. He began to fill up their canteens as he made it to the stream.

All he had ever wanted was to prove that he wasn't just the kid everyone ignored or avoided. That was one of the main reasons he wanted to become a Hunter in the first place. They were always so heroic and amazing, fighting monsters and saving people. Everybody adored them.

His parents were a little less supportive than he had hoped for, especially his father who was a Hunter himself. Dad couldn't see him measuring up to the standards of being a Hunter so he dissuaded him from pursuing the ambition. Mom was just a little protective and often tried to list other professions that held less danger. He heard a lot of "I hear being a baker sounds wonderful" or "Being a builder is just as important as a Hunter." as he was growing up.

Nevertheless, he was determined to be one of them and only one person had actually believed he could do it.

His grandpa wasn't surprised by his desire to become a Hunter. After all, he was the one who often regaled the boy with tales of heroes that saved the day. Somehow, when he was ten years old, Jaune had managed to convince his grandfather to train and teach him everything there was to know about becoming a hero.

Now, seven years later, all of that training was starting to show results. It wasn't easy, but he had survived the gruelling and harsh lessons over the years. Gone was the scrawny boy who was never given a second glance. In his place stood a tall and muscular man that had the potential to slay monsters and save people.

All thanks to the efforts of an old man who believed in a little boy's dream.

He couldn't help but smile. _Thanks grandpa._

However, a sudden feral growl brought him out of his thoughts. He instantly stood from his crouched position and turned to come face to face with five Beowolves slowly making their approach. The closest one was two yards away while the others started to fan out and were trying to surround him.

Jaune drew his sword and held it in front of him while his eyes darted to each of the creatures. They must have been drawn by the noise of their sparring session. Somehow, he and his grandpa must have wandered too close to their territory.

"I'm guessing you guys aren't here to make friends." Jaune said. His mouth tended to shoot off unnecessarily during times like these. He couldn't help it.

Jaune gripped his sword tightly and took a deep breath to help calm his nerves. The sight of these creatures always made him uneasy and sometimes a little afraid. These were the monsters that he grew up hearing about. No matter how many times he'd come face to face with these creatures over the course of his training, he can never shake the small hint of fear he felt as he stared into those cold red eyes.

_Fear is not a weakness._ His grandfather had told him once._ As long as you don't let it guide your thoughts and actions, you might say that it could be your greatest asset in a battle. After all, how can you fight harder, jump higher, or run faster if you have nothing to lose?_

The Beowolf in front of him snarled in response and crouched on all fours, ready to strike.

Without warning, all five of the creatures converged on him.

* * *

Jonah hurried over to the sound of battle as fast as his legs could carry him. He silently berated himself. He should have been more watchful of how deep into the woods they travelled. Now his grandson was probably facing a pack of grimm alone.

The sound of metal tearing into flesh and whimpers could be heard as he drew closer to the source. As Jonah burst through a set of thick foliage with his sword in hand, he was mildly surprised by the sight that greeted him.

Jaune stood in the middle of five dead Beowolves as he wiped his sword with a rag. Their bodies were already starting to disintegrate into nothing. His grandson hardly seemed fazed by the appearance of these beasts.

Walking toward him as if nothing had happened, Jaune handed him a canteen filled with water. "Here you go gramps, one drink of water courtesy of Jaune Arc, future Hunter extraordinaire."

His response was a quick smack up the head. "Ow! The heck was that for?"

"Cheeky brat," Jonah grunted as he opened the canteen. "What did I tell you about running your mouth off like that?"

As he took a swig from the canteen, he couldn't help but feel proud of his grandson. He has grown into a fine young man. He's ready for the next step. It was time to continue the next phase of his journey.

_You'll make a fine Hunter someday. I just hope I'm still around to see it when that time comes._

* * *

**So that's the prologue. BTW, I don't really know the names of Jaune's parents or family members so I'll just improvise. I plan on giving Jaune the heritage of none other than King Arthur (but I'm gonna tweak it a little bit so that it could fit in the whole RWBY universe and Quite frankly I don't know too much about him except for some of the basics but I'll just make it up as I go along so please don't bother fact checking it if it's accurate or not) Peace out! Next is the start of cannon.**


	2. Vale

**Here we go, start of the RWBY cannon. *sigh alright I guess I have to do it. I do not own RWBY blah blah you know the rest. Oh yeah, thanks for those reviews that gave me a heads up that there will be a season 3 of RWBY! Rest in Peace Monty!**

* * *

They set at a casual pace down the road to the landing pad in town that would take Jaune to Vale via airship. The blonde boy carried only a knapsack and a duffel bag filled with the essentials for his stay at Beacon. His grandfather walked beside him and the two walked in companionable silence.

"Do you have everything you need?" his grandpa asked.

Jaune sighed. "Yes. Seriously, I checked and double checked my stuff as I was packing. Mom even sorted through it before we left to just to make sure."

Suffice to say, his mother was even more anxious about the departure than he was. She kept fussing over him and asked him if he remembered to bring extra underpants seven times. The fact that he was the only male among his siblings made him stick out in the eyes of his parents. In the end, they shared a long goodbye hug and he promised to see them all again soon.

The only one who didn't see him off was his dad. He couldn't blame him though. Being a hunter meant having a lot of responsibilities. Still, it would have been nice to hear from him before going off on this new adventure.

Jonah chuckled. "Your mother is going to be hard to deal with for the next couple of days. No doubt she'll be fretting about her only son."

"Yep, and without me around, you'll have to deal with the girls while dad's still on his mission." Jaune smirked.

His grandfather shuddered. "Don't remind me. Your sisters are a handful as they are."

The two of them shared a laugh as they continued down the road.

As they walked, Jaune was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was going to the one place he'd dreamed about since he was a little boy. Beacon Academy was one of the greatest schools in all of Remnant. Some of the best Hunters and Huntresses were once students from there. He was more than determined to be one of them.

He was also a bit excited. He didn't want to admit it but Jaune had been itching to go ever since he passed their entrance exams that his grandfather had signed him up for. The reason for this was simple.

It would be a fresh start for him.

He could be anybody he wanted. Nobody knew him as "that weird kid" or "the scrawny kid". He won't let that happen this time. Who knows? Maybe he could actually make some real friends at Beacon, friends that would accept him for who he was. He almost sighed in anticipation.

They made it onto the platform and waited for the airship to arrive. He would be going to Vale first then he had to take another airship to Beacon tomorrow. The two Arcs stood in a waiting area on the landing strip.

"This is really it." Jaune said as if just realizing it. It all seemed like a dream up to this point.

"Are you nervous?"His grandpa asked.

"A little," Jaune replied.

"Good. Remember what I told you?"

"Only a fool doesn't know when to be afraid."

"That's right and don't you forget it." His grandpa nodded. "But you can relax, Jaune. Your time at Beacon will be good for you. Make friends, study hard, and always remember the things I've taught you."

"I will gramps." Jaune said.

"Here, I have something for you."

Jonah then began to unwrap the package he had brought with him ever since they left home. Jaune had been curious about it but never bothered to ask why his grandfather had brought it. Now he saw what was inside.

It was a broad sword, an awesome looking one in Jaune's opinion. It was double sided just like his regular one but it looked twice as sharp and held a certain gleam to it. The handle had a leather grip and a small blue Dust crystal could be seen in the middle of the cross-guard. The pommel was carved into a head of a lion.

Jonah offered him the handle. "Try it out."

Jaune hesitantly reached for the sword. As soon as he wrapped his hands on the handle, he felt a strange sensation pass through him. He couldn't explain it but it felt like a sense of warmth flowed from his hand gripping the sword and into his whole body. It was oddly comforting, he thought.

Jaune got into a position and swung it a few times in a series of moves his grandfather had taught him. He was surprised by how light it was. The balance was perfect. He easily flew into the cuts, slashed and thrusts. The sword almost made it seem effortless. The blonde couldn't help but laugh a little bit by how exhilarating it felt.

His grandfather often told him that the sword was an extension of your arm. The other swords he used to train were often too heavy, too long, and sometimes the balance wasn't right. They felt like prosthetic arms that couldn't quite compare to the original. This sword however felt like it was made just for him.

He heard a chuckle nearby. "Enjoying yourself?"

Jaune turned to where his grandfather had an amused smile on his face and he scratched his head in embarrassment. He must have gotten too into what he was doing.

"What do you think?" Jonah asked as he approached him.

"It's amazing. Where'd you get this?" Jaune asked as he handed it back to his grandfather.

"It's been in the family for generations." His grandfather replied. "My father has held this sword in battle countless of times in the past and so did his father."

"How come I've never seen you use it?"

His grandpa chuckled sadly. "I'm afraid that I was feeling a little bit unworthy of wielding such a weapon. Back then, I was just like you my boy. I often doubted whether I could become a great warrior or not. When my father showed me this and told me that he had used this in the war, I felt like I could never measure up to that. So I forged my own sword and managed to become a Hunter anyway. When my father died I told myself that one day I would find someone who I could give it to. And so I did."

Jaune had never felt more honored than he was at this moment. "Why didn't you give it to dad when he became a Hunter? Why choose me?"

His grandfather sighed. "I was considering it but I'm afraid your father was too ambitious and he always wanted to branch out from the family and come into his own without any help. There's nothing wrong with that, mind you, and I respect him for wanting to follow his own path. Besides, I don't think he would have been able to bring out the sword's full potential like you."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Jaune asked, confused.

He handed the sword back to Jaune. "How does it feel?"

Jaune considered the question before answering. "Well, it's kind of lighter than I expected."

"That's good. It means I chose the right person." His grandpa said. "To you it feels light but to be honest with you lad, that thing is pretty heavy. I also tried to use it once but the balance wasn't right. I would probably spend more time fumbling with it than fighting with it."

"So...that means what exactly?" Jaune said.

Jonah patted his grandson's shoulder. "It means that you're probably the only one who could use this weapon properly. I can't tell you exactly how I know that but it's the truth."

Jaune decided to let that sink in for a moment and stared at the sword in his hand. This sword has been in the family for a long time. The sword has seen battle and survived a war. The sword that has denied his grandfather, one of the bravest and strongest warriors he knew, now works only for him. How in Remnant was that possible?

As if reading his mind, Jonah spoke up again. "It actually has a fascinating history if I recall. A long time ago, that sword was embedded in a large Dust crystal. Men from all the kingdoms attempted pull it out of the crystal but none of them succeeded in the endeavor. Then, one day, a young man managed to pull it out effortlessly when a great calamity struck the land. With the sword in his hand, he managed to save everyone from the peril and eventually grew to be a king. He named the sword Excalibur. Well, such is the legend."

Jaune was about to ask something but the sound of a loud jet engine interrupted his thoughts.

"Well, I guess this is it," Jonah said.

Jaune nodded and sheathed the sword in his collapsible shield. He then caught his grandpa unprepared when he pulled the man into a hug. Jonah patted his back and they separated a moment later.

"Take care of yourself, boy." His grandfather tousled his hair. "Stay out of trouble."

"Come on gramps, it's me we're talking about." Jaune replied cockily as he slung his knapsack over his shoulder and his duffle bag on the other.

"That's why I'm worried." Jonah muttered as he watched his grandson board the ship. The boy turned back for a moment for one last wave then before he knew it, the airship was taking off.

* * *

Jaune arrived in Vale that night and decided to take a stroll through town. The flight was torture as he was reminded of his airsickness so he thought that he'd at least familiarize himself with the place and try to dispel some of the nausea he felt. He got a quick glimpse of Beacon as the airship landed. He was reminded of how close he was. Only a few more hours and he'd be there in person.

The blonde casually made his way through the streets in his black hoodie, a pair of jeans, and some sneakers. His usual attire usually included pieces of armor and his weapon but he decided that it wouldn't be necessary for a simple walk. Jaune was about to regret that decision as he rounded the next corner.

A small dust store with the name of "From Dust Till Dawn" came into view. However, what really caught Jaune's attention was the small gang of shady looking people approaching the shop. People in the streets quickly made themselves scarce as they passed. In the lead was a man in a white coat, a bowler hat on his head, a cane, and a cigar in his mouth.

The whole situation reeked of trouble.

He ducked into a nearby alley to avoid being seen. He heard the men enter the shop. He risked a glance from the alley and saw two of the men stationed themselves outside, probably as lookouts. The two of them were dressed alike and they each carried red swords.

He silently berated himself for leaving his weapons back at the apartment he was renting for the night.

_Stay vigilant at all times. _His grandfather often said. He'd probably chew Jaune out for such a rookie mistake. Now that store was probably being robbed or something. The blonde couldn't just stand here and do nothing. Wasn't he going to Beacon to learn how to become a hero? Heroes saved and protected people. He had to help somehow.

He pulled his hood up so that it hid most of his features. He took a deep breath and walked out of the alley with his hands in his pockets and his head down.

Jaune casually approached the two men and pretended not to see them as he tried to enter the shop.

"Hey, store's closed kid." One of them said as he blocked Jaune's path by steeping in front of him and brandishing his sword menacingly.

"Oh dude is that a sword? That is so cool man! Where'd you get those?" Jaune spoke in his best nerdy teenager voice. "I always wanted one of those, but you know my mom won't let me, which sucks. I bet I could do some super awesome moves with that thing, you know?"

The two goons shared a confused look. Was this kid for real?

"Beat it kid before you get what's coming to you." The other one said.

Jaune let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, but I have to do one thing first."

"What's that?"

"This," and with one swift motion he delivered a strong punch to one of them in the gut that made him double over and sent a quick roundhouse kick to the face of the other one. Jaune followed up with a powerful elbow to the neck of the one he socked in the gut and the man slumped to the ground unconscious.

The other goon had recovered and began to slash at Jaune with his sword. He sidestepped an overhead cut and put some distance between them. He got into a hand to hand combat stance as the goon readied his sword.

Inside the shop, he heard a sound of something crashing. Looks like things were getting lively in there. People might be getting hurt as of this moment. He needed to end this fast and get inside to see what's going on.

Instead of staying on the defensive, despite lacking the proper weapons and armor, Jaune rushed toward his opponent.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment as years of training seemed to kick in. He could see the enemy raising his sword in preparation for a diagonal slash. The man was about to step toward him with his right foot first. That left the goon wide open and soon, he's going to realize that it was a huge mistake.

The goon brought down his sword but Jaune avoided the blow by stepping to the right. Not wasting time, he grabbed the man's wrist that held the sword and kept it steady while he delivered a clean hit to the man's face with his free hand. Jaune also twisted the man's arm, making the sword clatter to the ground. And in one swift motion, the blonde pivoted and hauled the man over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground hard.

The blonde kicked the sword away while the goon groaned in pain.

Then, that was when two people came crashing out the window and into the street.

* * *

Ruby had been minding her own business, until the rude robbers decided to spoil her evening. There she was, browsing through some magazines at the Dust shop and listening to her music. She thought she heard the entrance to the shop opening but she paid it no mind. She was too engrossed in her magazine that featured all the latest weapons to care at the moment.

The out of nowhere some jerk suddenly pulled down her hood rather roughly and demanded that she put her hands in the air.

"Are you…robbing me?" She asked.

"Yes!" He said.

So she did the natural thing and gave him a kick that sent him flying. Soon after that, another robber came and decided to point his gun at her. After a brief stare down, Ruby put more force into her kick and they both crashed out the window and onto the street.

She decided to get serious and brought out Crescent Rose in scythe form. She twirled it around for effect then turned off her music.

Ruby was surprised by what she saw outside when she looked at her surroundings. Two more thugs were on the ground, along with the one she knocked out the window. One of them looked unconscious and the other was clutching his broken nose in pain.

A person stood over one of the robbers. He, she assumed it was a male, wore a black hoodie, a pair of blue jeans and some sneakers. Ruby couldn't see his face properly because his hood was up but she could faintly make out his dark blue eyes peering at her in curiosity.

Her attention immediately turned to the situation at hand when the leader of the shady bunch spoke up. "Okaay…Well, get her!"

The other robbers rushed out of the store to face her but apparently they didn't know about the guy in the hood. As the robbers were exiting the shop, he quickly dashed to the side and stuck his foot out just outside the door. All the robbers took an unexpected dive and tripped onto the pavement.

Ruby snickered at the sight while the guy in the bowler hat rubbed his face in annoyance. However, her amusement was short-lived as the robbers quickly stood and surrounded her. Two of them went after the guy in the hoodie. She wanted to go help him but she needed to deal with her attackers first.

She made short work of them with Crescent Rose. Her attackers were no match for her as she easily disposed of them. In her peripheral vision, Ruby could see the other guy kicking some serious bad guy butt as well and he didn't even have a weapon. The guy had some serious skills.

She knocked her last attacker off of his feet and the man landed next to the bowler hat man.

"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." The man muttered to himself. "Well, kiddies, I think it's been an eventful evening and as much as I would love to stick around…"

He pointed his cane at her and a barrel opened up at the bottom. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"Not if I can help it." The guy in the hoodie said. Nobody saw him move but he was already right next to the bowler hat guy just as he pulled the trigger on his cane. The boy managed to get his hands on the weapon and redirected the aim so that it was pointed upward.

The weapon fired and the shot exploded in midair. Thankfully it didn't hit any of the buildings or else civilians might have gotten hurt.

"Persistent little brat." Roman growled in annoyance. He quickly sent a kick to the boy's abdomen but before the attack made contact, his target hopped out of the way and stood next to Ruby.

"Nice moves you got there." Ruby heard the guy say to her.

"Uh thanks. You're not bad yourself." She responded. He didn't turn to look at her and instead remain fixed on the bad guy so she couldn't see his face. He sounded like a teenager but it was hard to estimate his age.

Roman was starting to get pissed. These little brats had managed to put a wrench in their plans. Now he needed to find another way to get to the Bullhead that was waiting for him.

Ruby was about to launch herself at the guy but the sound of a large engine startled her. The two of them turned around and saw a Bullhead hovering above them. They covered their eyes as a bright light was pointed at them from the airship. Thanks to this, their visibility has significantly dropped.

"Well, it's been fun but playtime is over kids." Roman said as he reached for the ladder that was dropped for him and quickly began to climb. Half-way up the ladder, he tossed down a red crystal and fired his cane. The shot made contact and the dust crystal exploded.

However, his victory was cut short as he saw a set of purple glyphs vanish and the two kids were now joined by a pretty blonde woman with glasses and a purple cape. She was pointing her riding crop upward and Roman guessed that she was the one who stopped the explosion.

Ruby was practically in awe of the battle that followed. Roman had disappeared in the ship but a woman with her face concealed in shadows engaged the huntress that saved them in combat. It was amazing. Every attack they sent at each other was quickly countered. At one point the huntress had to pull her out of the way as the ground erupted in flames.

She tried to help by firing a couple of rounds with her weapon but it proved ineffective against the mysterious foe.

In the end, the Bullhead managed to get away. It was then that she remembered about the other guy in the hoodie. She turned around to face him only to see that he was gone.

* * *

Professor Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he studied the footage on his scroll. He sat in his office reviewing the battle that took place a couple of hours ago. It was quite interesting, to say the least.

Ruby Rose had remarkable potential for one so young. Her skill with her scythe was comparable to her uncle who was a great Huntsman. It would also appear that she wished to be a Huntress when he spoke to her about why a girl like her attended a school that was meant for warriors. Her reasons were noble but she was still a bit too young. Perhaps her time here at Beacon would allow her to hone her talents and mature into a fine young Huntress.

It may have been a little rushed but he had managed to fill out the necessary paper work. Her skills were more than satisfactory for the entrance exam. As of tomorrow, Ruby will be part of batch of students that will be arriving.

The video then played to the part where the mysterious hooded young man made an appearance.

Ozpin watched as the boy approached the two lookouts outside of the shop and appeared to be talking to them before he caught them off guard by striking first. The boy was no push over it seemed. He easily beat the two thugs with his hand to hand combat skills.

The professor also couldn't help but smile in amusement as the boy tripped the rest of the robbers as they were exiting the shop. The boy was either very stupid or very confident in his abilities to pull such a stunt. Ozpin assumed it was the latter and his assumption was proven correct by the next part of the video.

When Roman Torchwick pointed his cane at Ruby, the boy acted with little hesitation. It was faint but Ozpin saw a little glow of white around the boy's feet that allowed him to clear the distance between them in record time. He replayed that part a couple of times just to make sure. There was no doubt about it. The boy knew how to activate and use his Aura.

Only a very skilled individual could use his Aura to enhance his abilities, assuming that he unlocked it by himself. It spoke volumes of the boy's prowess. Plus, he managed to direct the shot where there would be the least amount of casualties and destruction.

Not only was the boy brave, he was also a quick thinker on his feet. It was a trait that every great Hunter needed.

Ozpin hit the pause button on the video as the boy slipped out in the midst of the chaos as soon as Glynda arrived. A tactical retreat, the professor assumed, because he knew that he would only be a liability in the battle. He was about to duck into a nearby alley when the professor caught a glimpse of his face and he smiled.

"Well, well, Mr. Arc. It would seem that I have another interesting student that I will be keeping an eye out for this year."

* * *

Jaune lied awake in his bed that night as he thought about the events that had just transpired.

That girl with the scythe was something else. She looked to be around a year or two younger than him but she still managed to impress the hell out of him. Her skill with using a weapon that was just as tall as her showcased her ridiculous amount of talent. She was practically tossing the bad guys around like rag dolls.

Was she a student at Beacon too? Did they even have an age limit at the school? And the more important question played around in his head. Were all of the students at Beacon that good?

It was an overwhelming thought. He wouldn't be surprised if all the students were just as proficient if not better than the girl he saw. The school obviously handpicks the best of the best so he should have expected this.

He clenched his fist. So what? He got in himself, didn't he? He got accepted into Beacon so he was probably at an acceptable level but the display tonight showed him that he needed to step up his game if he wanted to get far, especially after he saw what a real Huntress in action looked like up close.

Wow, he had never doubted that Huntsmen were awesome but to see one in combat in person was something else.

He slipped away when he figured that he could no longer be of assistance. He didn't have a weapon and even if he did, he couldn't attack at long range. It was for the best that the Huntress had room to focus on the task and not have to worry about him getting in the way.

He didn't worry about the other girl getting hurt now that a professional was there to step in but he did frown when he thought about that Roman Torchwick fellow. That guy was trouble. He's made a couple of headlines in the news with his crimes.

His eyelids started to feel heavy and he let out a yawn. He put all of those thoughts at the back of his mind at the moment. Tomorrow was the day. He needed all the rest he could get. Who knows what other surprises awaited him at Beacon?

His last thoughts before succumbing to sleep were: _Look out world. Here comes, Jaune Arc!_

* * *

**Well, I hope you guys liked it. And of course don't forget to review! **


	3. First Impressions

**Alright, here's the third chapter. I appreciate the support this story has received so far. Once more, I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Jaune groaned as he tried to keep his breakfast down. He was hunched over on a railing of the airship that was positioned in front of a massive window. The blonde had lost count of how many times he almost threw up on the ship. Thankfully, he had an iron will and he did not want be ridiculed before he even stepped foot in Beacon so he was determined to keep up appearances.

But darn it, his guts protested and churned uncomfortably.

He tried to distract himself by glancing around at the other students on the airship. There were more of them than he expected but that didn't matter to him. Some students came here with friends and were huddled in their own little groups, chatting or catching up on things. However, if he was to be honest with himself, only a few managed to attract his attention.

His grandfather often told him that he should always be on the lookout for things of interest or out of the ordinary. That way, he wouldn't be caught off-guard when the situation called for it. Even during quiet moments like these, he should always be ready. The scouts were always sent first during a battle, after all.

Jaune spotted a haughty looking girl standing off to one side. She was fairly pretty in her own way. Her skin was pale while her hair and clothes were all white although he spotted a little bit of red inside her white jacket. He also spotted the famous Schnee Dust Company logo on the back of her clothes. She must be an heiress or something although he didn't need to see her family's logo to notice that. Jaune saw that she had her chin held high and looked as if everyone else wasn't worth her time.

Yeah, she was definitely one of those rich girl types.

He also took note in her choice of weapon which was a rapier of some kind.

Jaune then noticed a couple of the students crowding around an attractive red headed girl that had her hair done in a ponytail. She wore a Greek style set of armor made of bronze that showed ample amounts of skin, to which Jaune had no complaints about that part of the arrangement. She also had a red sash tied around her waist and a bracer on the top of her left arm.

She looked kind of familiar but Jaune was too nauseated to remember where he'd seen her before. He thinks it had something to do with the fact that other students looked like they were asking for autographs. He also had a vague feeling that he saw her at home at one time but that notion seemed ridiculous.

"Look Ren, its Beacon! It's so cool!" A bubbly girl standing at another window beside Jaune said. "I can't wait! How long do you think till we get there? Do you think there'll be pancakes? I love pancakes. I also love the syrup that goes on top. I can't get enough of that stuff!"

Jaune glanced off toward the source and found a cute cheery looking girl with short hair practically bouncing as she chattered happily about Beacon and all the stuff she was going to do and eat there. Standing next to her was a guy wearing a green Chinese coat, a pair of light tan pants and some dark shoes. His hair was in a ponytail and had a streak of magenta in it. He stood there just patiently listening to the girl.

They must know each other from somewhere before due to their familiarity with one another. The magenta guy seemed content by just hearing what the other girl babbled about. He casually nodded from time to time and answered in short sentences.

Jaune sighed wistfully. He kind of wished he had someone from back home to talk to during the trip to lessen the effects of his airsickness. Unfortunately, he didn't have any friends from back home. They were either too busy picking on him or ignoring him. Even if he did see someone he knew, he figured that they'd just treat him the same as they did before. Thinking back on it, he was glad no one from his old school was here.

He was cut off from his somewhat depressing thoughts as someone squealed in delight somewhere behind him.

Jaune turned toward the source and was surprised to see the girl from last night being crushed in a hug by a gorgeous looking blonde girl. They separated a moment later and began to chat excitedly. He was too far away to hear what they were saying but he was too busy staring at the girl who had helped take down those robbers from the other night.

So she was just starting at Beacon too? He would have thought that she was already a student because of the skills she displayed the other night. Jaune did notice something odd however. She looked like she was a year younger than anyone else on this ship. She must have known it too because she looked a tad bit uncomfortable as she chatted with the excited looking blonde.

_She must be really good with that scythe if she was moved up ahead._ Jaune thought.

Strangely enough, that thought didn't depress him as he thought it would. On the contrary, the fact that he was going to a school with some of the best to train lit a fire inside of him. Jaune couldn't help but grin. Maybe his grandfather had rubbed off on him a little because the thrill of competing and testing his metal against tough opponents was hard to ignore. He learned long ago that you needed to be strong to fight monsters and what better way of doing so than to measure yourself against people that could push you to your limits? If there was no challenge in doing something, why do it at all?

A hologram of a news report depicting the robbery that took place last night appeared. It showed a mug shot of Roman Torchwick before the news began to cover an incident cause by the infamous White Fang. He didn't know much about them except that they were once a peaceful organization pushing for equality among Humans and Faunus. Now though, it appears that they turned to more violent and forceful methods of doing things.

The newsfeed was cut off and was replaced by a hologram of the Huntress that saved them last night. She introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch and she began to give a rousing but short speech that was meant to inspire them. It sounded like she said the same thing every year with each batch of new arrivals to start things off but nevertheless, it had produced the desired effect as everyone rushed to the windows and chatted even more animatedly than before as soon as the hologram disappeared.

For Jaune however, he had been reminded of his current state as the sight of the slow moving landscape below made him even queasier. He felt his stomach churning and knew that was a bad sign. He needed to find a bathroom or a bucket quickly if he wanted to avoid making a scene.

Covering his mouth, he stumbled away from the window and hurriedly looked around for a bucket. He was so focused on finding someplace to dump his breakfast that he didn't see where he was going and bumped into the white-haired girl he saw earlier.

"Excuse me!" She said, clearly offended. "You need to watch where you're going nimrod!"

He didn't offer a reply because he didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. He really needed to find a trashcan or something.

"Wait, aren't you going to apologize?!" The girl demanded. "That's rude. What are you? Are you a jerk that likes shoving people just because he feels like it?"

Now the girl was exaggerating a little bit. It was just a bump. He didn't do it on purpose. Couldn't she just let it go? He had more pressing issues to deal with at the moment and it was getting harder to control the turmoil his stomach was in. Without another word he turned around and walked away from her.

Clearly, this pissed her off. "Hey! Don't just walk away! Apologize, you brute!"

She caught up to him, grabbed him by his shoulders and spun him around.

That was a very big mistake.

Jaune was unprepared for the sudden one eighty degree turn and his nausea started to act up. He could already feel something coming up from his stomach. He saw the white-haired girl tapping her foot impatiently as she glared at him. He knew that he only had a few seconds left before…

_Ah crap._

Jaune doubled over and vomited.

He heard some students making disgusted sounds and a few snickers as they backed away from him. As soon as he was done spilling his guts out, he saw a pair of white high heels that weren't spared from his breakfast. _Uh oh, _Jaune thought.

He looked up to a very angry looking heiress. She was downright glaring daggers at him as her face turned so red he could imagine steam coming out of her ears. Her fists were shaking in fury as she looked down at her ruined shoes and at the person responsible for her current situation.

It was then that Jaune opened his mouth. "Oh man, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sooo sorry!"

She looked like she was about to clobber him for his crimes but the girl just growled at him before she stormed off, probably to clean herself. The other students parted before her, clearly afraid of getting in her way.

Jaune was deeply mortified. He wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. He could still see a couple of the students snickering and a few started giving him a wide berth. The blonde hasn't even stepped foot in Beacon and yet he's already managed to make a fool out of himself and pissed off a very cute girl.

_Why me?_

Jaune palmed his face. "Oh man…"

* * *

The rest of the trip to Beacon passed by without incident. Jaune tried to merge with the wall as he tried not to draw any more attention to himself. He really wished this stupid hunk of metal would go faster. The sooner they arrived, the better.

The ship began to land and the doors opened to let the students exit onto the platform. Jaune let everyone exit first before him. He wanted to keep a low profile until that whole fiasco dimmed down. Although he knew one person probably won't forget it any time soon.

The girl he threw up on gave him her coldest glare as she passed him on the way out of the airship and he shuddered.

He trailed behind everyone as he followed them out of the airship and before he knew it, he was on the front steps of Beacon.

It was even better than he had imagined. The place was huge. Apparently, the engineers and architects spared no expense in designing and building the place. The school's tallest tower resembled a clock tower of some kind. All in all, it looked like something straight out of a fiction novel.

Jaune whistled appreciatively and stood rooted to his spot. He was finally here. The blonde inhaled the fresh morning air and just savored the moment.

He did until the moment was ruined by a sudden explosion nearby.

* * *

Ruby collapsed on the ground in despair. "Welcome to Beacon."

So far, things were looking pretty bleak for her first day and it wasn't even lunch time yet! Her sister, Yang, had ditched her to go hang out with her friends. Weiss, the snobby princess, reprimanded her for falling on her stuff and causing an explosion. A quiet looking girl had interrupted at one point and Weiss stormed off. Before she could thank the girl however, she was already walking away.

Now, here she was, sulking all alone. How pathetic was that?

"Huh, and here I thought I was the only one having a rough first day." A voice spoke up.

She looked up to find a good looking blonde guy grinning down at her. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," Ruby said.

"Don't mention it." He replied.

"Wait a minute….aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

The blonde sighed and hung his head. "Yeah, that's me. Man, I am never going to live that down, huh?"

Ruby felt a little bad for snickering. "Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Yeah, laugh it up Crater Face." The blonde countered with a smirk. "I saw what happened back there."

"Hey, that was an accident!" Ruby said defensively.

It was his turn to laugh. "Not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot, is it?"

He stuck his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. She wasn't sure whether to follow him or not. He did just sort helped her but what if he just did it because of how pathetic she must have looked? She got her answer when he stopped a few feet away and looked back at her, slightly confused.

"Aren't you coming? I think we're all supposed to gather in the conference hall for some announcements."

Needless to say, Ruby was elated. She might have actually made her first new friend at Beacon. She caught up to him and they began to walk down the pathway.

"I'm Ruby by the way, Ruby Rose." She told him.

"Name's Jaune Arc," He said and they shook hands. "Short, sweet, and easy to remember. Ladies love it."

"Do they?" Ruby raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh they will once they get a load of this." Jaune ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and flew into some macho poses.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Oh yeah, I bet they'll be lining up."

"Laugh all you want but it's only a matter of time." Jaune said. Ruby just rolled her eyes as they kept walking around the campus.

They settled into a comfortable silence for a while. Jaune looked like one of those easy-going types. With his hands in his pockets and a carefree expression on his face, he seemed like the kind of person you would want to talk to. Ruby was glad that she had run into someone like him.

However, Ruby had a strange feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.

After a few minutes, Ruby decided to break the silence. "So…I got this thing. I crafted it myself."

She brought out Crescent Rose in scythe form and Jaune stepped back nervously. "Although I think I might've gone a little bit overboard in designing it."

"A little warning would be nice before you draw your weapon next time." Jaune said. He stared at the scythe with admiration. Ruby could see his eyes trailing up from the blade to the handle where the trigger for the rifle was.

The blonde whistled. "Man, it's the second time I've seen it and yet it still looks pretty awesome."

"Wait, what do you mean second time?" Ruby asked.

"Whoops."

At that moment, realization dawned on her. He did look familiar because she'd seen those pair of blue eyes before. He wore pieces of armor over his black hoodie and she couldn't see his face properly at the time but there was no mistaking it.

"You're the guy from last night!" Ruby exclaimed. A hand clamped down on her mouth as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Hey keep it down, will you?" Jaune spoke in a hushed voice. "My grandpa would kill me if he found out about that and there's no telling what my mom will do to me so I need you to keep quiet about it. Please?"

Ruby nodded and Jaune let go of her mouth.

"I still can't believe it though." Ruby continued sounding a little awed. "You were all like 'Smack!' and 'Kapow!' on those bad guys. It was awesome!"

Jaune rubbed his head sheepishly. "Thanks. You were pretty awesome too. I've never seen a scythe like that before and the way you handled it? You've got to show me some moves."

"Sure. Oh, I almost forgot. What's your weapon?" Ruby asked in curiosity.

Jaune hesitated for a moment but eventually drew his sword. Ruby had to admit, it looked wicked. She had never seen a sword like this one before. Granted, the weapon looked plain compared to all the other fancy swords she'd seen with accessories like a built in gun or a switch that allows it to burst into flames. However, she couldn't deny the certain allure this weapon gave off.

"It's nothing fancy but it's been in the family for generations." Jaune said. "And the sheath is also a collapsible shield."

"Could I try holding it?" She asked. Ruby couldn't help it. She was a weapons enthusiast.

"Sure." Jaune held out the handle toward her and she tentatively wrapped her hands around the handle.

When he let go, Ruby almost dropped the darn thing in surprise. This sword was super heavy! Her arms shook from the unexpected effort of trying to keep the weapon upright. Even Crescent Rose didn't weigh this much. It was like trying to balance heavy weights on a pole. Ruby almost toppled over to the side if Jaune hadn't caught her in time.

"Are you alright?" He asked as she gave him back the sword.

"What is that thing made of?" Ruby caught her breath.

The blonde frowned in confusion. "Is it really that heavy?"

To her astonishment, the blonde swung the sword with ease as he tried a few cuts. He even carried it with one hand. There was no way he could carry something that heavy so easily.

He eventually stopped and sheathed his sword. He took on a thoughtful expression. It was almost as if he was remembering something but then his head snapped up and he turned to face her in alarm.

"Aren't we supposed to be at the opening ceremony right now?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she quickly took note of the time. The ceremony was only five minutes from now. Unfortunately, they also had no idea where they were at the moment.

"I don't suppose there are any directories nearby?"

Oh great.

* * *

The two of them were fortunate enough to have wandered near the conference hall and managed to arrive with a couple of minutes to spare. The place was packed with students and the sound of the usual chatter could be heard. Jaune saw a familiar looking blonde calling out to Ruby.

She looked at him apologetically. "That's my sister Yang. I gotta go. See you after the ceremony."

She left before he could offer a reply. He just sighed and looked for a spot where he could get a good view of the stage.

Somehow he managed to wind up at a spot close to where Ruby and her sister were. He didn't get a chance to properly observe her on the ship but now he could see her most notable features. She was definitely a knockout, no doubt about that. Her long blonde hair, lilac eyes, and noticeable bust size would have turned a lot of heads if she walked into a room. What caught his attention however, were the gauntlets on her wrists.

_A brawler type_, He thought to himself.

It was definitely a unique choice but not really uncommon. Jaune made sure to make a note of her.

It was then that Jaune saw the girl he threw up on, Weiss if he remembered correctly, and he slowly backed away. He seriously didn't need to make that girl any angrier than she already was at him. It was then that Professor Ozpin decided to speak.

Jaune had never really met the Headmaster of Beacon before. He carried himself with dignity and seemed like an intelligent fellow. He held a cane at his side and wore a pair of crooked glasses. He cleared his throat before speaking into the microphone.

"I'll keep this brief." He said while adjusting his glasses. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time here at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Glynda then took over and instructed them to gather in the ballroom for the night and to prepare for their initiation tomorrow before dismissing them. The two of them then left and the hall descended into more chatter as the students mingled amongst themselves.

Jaune just stood there pondering over the headmaster's words.

It wasn't the most inspiring speech but it wasn't boring or meaningless either. Jaune swore he could have seen Ozpin's eyes sweep past all of the students before lingering on some, himself included. The professor seemed a little odd to him but nevertheless, the blonde couldn't help but think of that last statement as a challenge. It was as if the man believed that only a few of the students here today would actually survive initiation and last long enough to become Hunters. Well, he only had one thing to say about that.

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that Vomit boy was the guy that helped fight those guys that tried to rob that Dust shop you told me about?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I know, right? I couldn't believe it too. He was so goofy and kind of weird but in a good way when we talked that you'd never expect that he can do some serious butt kicking. You should have seen it. He didn't have a weapon or anything and he still thrashed those guys."

Yang still looked pretty skeptical. "Whatever you say sis,"

The two sisters sat in one of the tables inside Beacon's massive dining hall. The place offered a variety of delicious looking food and everyone was eating lunch with gusto. Other students around them were all engrossed in their own conversations about the upcoming initiations tomorrow.

"Hey, slow down Ruby, those cookies aren't going anywhere." Yang said in amusement. Her sister was contentedly stuffing her face with her favorite sweets.

"But ish shoo good!" Her sister said with her mouth full of chocolate chip. She perked up and swallowed her cookies when she saw something behind her sister.

"Hey, Jaune, we're over here!" Ruby called out to him.

Yang saw a tall blonde boy coming over carrying a tray. She had to admit, Jaune wasn't as gangly looking as she first thought. He was actually kind of cute with his messy hair and easy-going expression. He had a lean build and wore a sword at his hip.

"Sure you guys don't mind?" He asked.

"Not at all, any friend of Ruby's is a friend of mine." Yang said as she made room for him at the table.

"Thanks. I'm Jaune by the way."

"Yang, I'm Ruby's sister."

The two shook hands and proceeded with their meal.

"So Jaune, I hear you like beating up bad guys." Yang smirked. She snickered as Jaune almost choked on his mashed potatoes.

The boy glared pointedly at Ruby. "I thought we agreed to keep that confidential?"

The younger girl scratched her head sheepishly.

Yang patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. It's not my fault my sister is a blabbermouth."

"I am not!" Ruby retorted.

"And a klutz,"

"Yang!"

"Aw, don't be like that Ruby. You know I still wuv you."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh at Ruby's expense. The girl sent him a look of betrayal.

"That's what you get for blabbing." Jaune shrugged. He then decided to spare her from more teasing and changed the subject. "So, what do you guys think about the initiation tomorrow?"

Eventually, the three of them continued to make small talk after speculating on what would be the task that they would have to do tomorrow. They didn't talk about anything important but they did get to know one another a little bit. Ruby and Yang were particularly surprised at the mention of his seven sisters. The two girls had a hard time wrapping their minds around it. One sister was already a handful.

This continued for the rest of the day. The two sisters bickered a little bit and Jaune would smoothly direct the conversation elsewhere by cracking a joke or pointing something out. Yang thought that the other blonde was a pretty okay guy at that point.

When the sun began to set, the three of them followed everyone to the ballroom where they would be spending the night. Apparently, the place was segregated into genders, boys on the right and girls on the left.

"So, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jaune said.

"Yeah, Goodnight," Ruby said.

The boy gave them a two finger salute before heading off to get ready for bed.

"I'm proud of you sis." Yang told the younger girl as they went off to change into sleeping wear. "You made your first real friend at Beacon."

"And I also blew up an heiress." Ruby sighed dejectedly.

"Well at least you didn't throw up on her."

The two sisters shared a laugh but they both jumped when a familiar voice not too far away shouted at them.

"Hey, I heard that Yang!"

* * *

**There you have it. I know not much happened but the next one's going to make up for it somewhat. Now you guys know what to do. Leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Launch

**Hey guys it's me again. I can't thank you guys enough for the support this story has received so far. I don't own RWBY now onward with the story.**

* * *

A boy who looked no older than fourteen desperately stumbled through the forest in the middle of the night. He had been running for hours now with no respite. He couldn't afford to stop now. He had to get help or else the people in town were going to die.

They came out of nowhere just as they were all settling in for the night. The sound of the dying scream of the Watchman was the only warning they received before they came. The Grimm had caught them terribly off-guard by their sheer numbers. The boy himself had never seen so much of them at once before. Dozens upon dozens of the foul creatures that seemed to be the stuff of nightmares converged onto the place.

The men who were able to fight did so to the best of their ability while others ran. They held them off for as long as they could. Women and children tried their best to get away from the chaos but some of their efforts were futile. More creatures were lying in wait and then...

The boy tried not to think about what happened next.

He had managed to get lucky and found a path into the woods that was devoid of Grimm. He felt like a coward for running away. Even if he reasoned that he was escaping to get help from one of the neighboring towns, he could not shake away the guilt of leaving people behind. At the very least, he should have taken some of them with him.

He was so lost in his depressing thoughts that he didn't see a protruding tree root from the ground and tripped on it. He landed on the ground hard and groaned.

It would have been so easy to just give up right then and there. He was tired, alone, and scared. All he wanted to do was lay down there on the forest floor, close his eyes, and pretend this was all some sick dream. Who knows? He might just wake up in his bed tomorrow and find everything just as they were before.

However, the faint sound of a twig snapping somewhere farther behind him followed by a feral growl brought him back to reality.

It took a great deal of effort but he managed to push himself back up on his feet. He ignored his protesting muscles and continued to sprint deeper into the forest. He had no idea where he was going but he knew he had to put some distance between him and whatever the hell was behind him.

He heard a long and piercing howl but he didn't dare waste time by looking back.

The boy burst through the dense foliage and found himself in a small clearing where he skidded to a halt as he beheld a strange sight.

In the middle of the small area was a sword embedded in a huge chunk of obsidian like rock...

* * *

Jaune woke up to the sound of a very cheery girl exclaiming. "Wake up lazy butt!"

He turned to look at his side and found a very peppy looking girl with short orange hair and turquoise eyes standing over the magenta haired guy, Ren he remembered. The girl seemed too hyper in the morning, more than Jaune would have liked. Where did she find the energy to be this cheerful in the morning? The blonde groaned as he conceded that since he was already awake, he might as well get ready.

"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning!" The girl repeated enthusiastically as Jaune headed for the bathroom to freshen up.

He yawned and stretched his arms as the events of the dream he just had played in his mind. It was weird, even for him and for some reason he felt uneasy about it. He saw everything from the boy's perspective and somehow, it felt oddly real. Jaune felt his legs pounding through the forest floor, the small branches scratching him as he raced by, and the fear of whatever it was that was chasing him.

Jaune shook it off for now and chalked it up to messed up nightmares. He couldn't afford to get distracted today.

After brushing his teeth, splashing some water on his face and changing into his usual clothes, he set about to packing up the bedroll he used. A few students were already up and about. He spotted Ruby and Yang still fast asleep and decided to give them a wake up call.

"Hey, guys, time to get up." He said and nudged the both of them.

Ruby groaned and mumbled sleepily. "Five more minutes..."

Her sister just rolled over to face away from him.

Jaune sighed. "You're really going to make me do this."

"Guys, guys wake up! You just slept through the initiation and it's over!" Jaune frantically shook the both of them.

That got their attention and they both sat up bolt upright, exclaiming. "What?!"

The both of them turned to a laughing Jaune Arc and Yang punched him hard on the arm for it.

"Ouch! Hey, it was either that or I splash water on you guys." Jaune said, rubbing the spot where the girl had decked him.

The two girls then proceeded to the bathroom after promising to catch up with him at breakfast. Jaune then made his way down to the cafeteria. He was still amazed by the sheer size of it. Dozens of long tables and benches were neatly arranged in rows. The tall windows provided ample lighting and a great view of the grounds. Some vending machines were placed along the walls of the cafeteria. Jaune's stomach rumbled as soon as he caught a whiff of the food.

He stacked up on the essentials like pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and some orange juice and found a table near one of the windows. He was about to attack his pancakes when Jaune caught sight of Weiss who had just entered. He had thought of multiple ways on how to sincerely apologize for the "incident" that occurred on the airship. The blonde figured he might as well get this over with.

Jaune stood up and approached her. She saw him and frowned a bit.

When he was close enough, he tried for a smile. "Uh, hello,"

She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

He tried not to wince at the annoyed tone of her voice. "Uh listen, about the, you know, what happened yesterday, I am really sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you or throw up on your shoes. It's just that I get real airsick and—,"

"Okay look..." She said searchingly.

"Jaune,"

"Okay, look Jaune, I just want to forget the whole thing and I have a feeling you do too." Weiss said. "If you want to make it up to me, just stay away from me and prevent a repeat of what happened."

She then stalked off without giving him a chance to reply. He sighed as he slipped back into his seat. At least she was willing to overlook the incident. Thinking that things could've gone worse, he began to dig into his breakfast. The blonde was soon joined by Ruby and Yang after a few bites.

The younger girl was humming a happy tune and Jaune had to raise an eyebrow. "Someone's in a good mood today."

"Yep, no more awkward small talk. Today I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." She said cheerily.

Jaune looked to Yang. "She means her scythe."

"So what was that with you and the ice queen?" Yang asked as she took a seat across from him.

"I was just trying to make up for the airship thing." Jaune replied before taking a sip of his orange juice.

"How'd that work out for you?"

Jaune shrugged. "She doesn't hate me so it's a start I guess."

"At least she didn't give you a flyer when you tried to apologize." Ruby mumbled dejectedly. "I hope I don't end up on the same team as her."

Jaune had been hearing a lot of rumors about teams since last night. From what he knew, they should be grouped into a team of four. However, he didn't know how the teams would be formed. Some speculated that you get to choose your teammates and were already grouping themselves among their friends. Others say that it depended on you performance during initiation. This idea held a lot more credibility than the former since Jaune doubted that the school would allow them to form teams that were convenient for the students. Their job was to maximize each of their individual talents and create a group that is both efficient and balanced.

Still, these were only rumors. He couldn't fully rely on them due to the lack of evidence to the claim. All he could do now was to wait for the official version that would come from the staff.

The three of them finished breakfast and then headed for the locker rooms where their equipment was stored.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos really hated her fame. From the moment she stepped on the airship, she had been swarmed by her avid admirers and fans. They showered her with praise for her skills and her good looks but that was about it. They never bothered to learn who she really was aside from the "Four Time Winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament".

Even when she was a student at Sanctum, her peers had given her a high status. She had always been at the top of her classes. While most of them admired her, she didn't fail to notice the looks of envy from some. People kept their distance from her because they felt that they could never measure up to her. This was one of the main reasons why she never made any true friends.

She had hoped that her time at Beacon would be different but unfortunately, it seems like her reputation followed her here.

As Pyrrha finished putting on her armor and her weapons, she heard a string of grumbling noises from a boy that was three lockers down from her. He was reaching for something on his back but couldn't quite grab hold of it. She saw that it was his armor strap. Seeing as it looked like he needed help, she decided to lend a hand.

"Here, let me." She told him and adjusted it for him.

"Thanks." He turned around and grinned at her.

It was the blonde boy who threw up on the ship. She didn't want to say this out loud because it might sound rude. Now that she was closer to him, Pyrrha could say that he was actually handsome. His messy blonde hair and his cocky half grin made him look roguish in some way. His dark blue eyes held an innocent quality in them.

"The name's Jaune by the way." He said and held up one hand.

She shook it. "I'm Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos."

He frowned a little thoughtfully when he heard the sound of her name. The redhead sincerely hoped that he wasn't like any of her fans. She took it as a good sign that Jaune didn't recognize her right away but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Okay this might sound like a weird question but, aren't you the girl who's on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes?"

She knew it was too good to be true and mentally sighed. "Yeah, that's me."

"That's cool. They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters." Jaune said. "My little sister will never believe the fact that I got to meet a real life cartoon character in person."

It took Pyrrha a moment to realize that he was joking. She had expected him to start asking for autographs or complimenting her looks. She knew he meant it as a joke because of the little grin he had. Plus the particular way he said it told her it wasn't meant as an insult.

"Well, she'll also never believe that her brother threw up on the ship before he even got here." She retorted, smiling a little to show she meant no foul.

His voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper. "Hey, stop trying to ruin my rep. She's the only one of my siblings who thinks I'm super cool. Don't ruin it."

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of it. Jaune smiled and laughed a little too. It had been so long since she had joked around with someone her age. It felt nice to just talk to someone who didn't see her as a celebrity. She definitely wanted to talk with this boy some more.

Unfortunately, the moment had to end.

The redhead saw the Schnee heiress approaching them and Pyrrha already knew where this was going. The girl had been following her around since yesterday. They had spoken a couple of times and she seemed nice enough so the redhead replied politely. However, she knew that Weiss was also an admirer of hers, given she was more formal and less forward than most.

"Good morning Pyrrha," Weiss greeted.

The redhead just smiled politely. "And to you as well, Weiss,"

"Are you ready for the initiation today?" Weiss asked. "Although I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle."

She just nodded along to what the girl said. Pyrrha has had a lot of practice in dealing with these situations. Sometimes it's best to just stay silent and listen to what the person wants to say about her. Although, she noticed that Weiss didn't bother to greet Jaune.

"Yeah don't mind me. I'm just the guy standing here like an idiot." Jaune mumbled, but Pyrrha heard him. She had to stifle a giggle at that.

"So Pyrrha, have you decided on whose team you would like to be on?" Weiss inquired.

_I could think of some people. _She thought, casting a quick glance at Jaune.

But out loud, she said. "I don't really know. I was planning to let the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I was thinking we could be on a team together." Weiss said trying to sound casual.

"That sounds grand." Pyrrha replied.

It was at that moment Jaune decided to let his presence be known. "Hi, remember me? The guy you've been ignoring for the past five minutes?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Right, what do you want John?"

"First of, it's Jaune. Second, I just want to let you know that I don't think that's how the team placement will work."

"How do you know?" Weiss raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Jaune sighed. "Think about it. We're training to become Hunters, meaning we're going to have to undertake different kinds of missions and sometimes, you're going to have to work with different types of people. Sure, you might be able to pair up with persons you're comfortable with but it won't always be like that. During an emergency, you might be required to work with complete strangers to complete the mission. If that's the case, then you'll be expected to trust them with your life. Look, I'm not trying to pretend that I know how their team system works but I think it's better to be prepared for any situation."

Pyrrha was impressed by his insight. Clearly, he had given a lot of thought about this. She had to admit that he could be right about the formation of teams. He had even looked beyond that and used real scenarios that are very likely to happen. Jaune was evidently more intelligent than he looked.

Weiss was at a loss for words. She tried opening her mouth a couple of times for a reply but nothing came out.

Just then, the intercom blared out. "All first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation."

"Well, that's our cue." Jaune said. He gave Pyrrha a smile. "Nice meeting you. See you on the flipside I guess."

With that, he walked off and fell into step beside a tall blonde girl and a younger girl with a red cape and hood.

"He was nice." Pyrrha said absently as she watched the three of them walk out the locker rooms.

Weiss huffed. "He's annoying."

The redhead just smiled at the girl's impression of the blonde boy before following the other first years.

* * *

Jaune stood on a square metal platform facing the Emerald forest. He wasn't the only one. Each of the first years was standing on their own platforms lined up on top of the cliff. Ruby and Yang were on the spots next to him on the left. He also spotted Weiss and Pyrrha farther to the left.

He had to admit, he was glad that he got to have a short talk with the red haired girl before Weiss came along. If he were honest to himself, he thought that she would be a stuck up girl that was too engrossed in her fame to notice her peers. It looked quite the opposite in his opinion but he couldn't say for sure. Still, she was polite enough and pretty cool to talk to. Not to mention she was absolutely stunning with her long red hair and dazzling green eyes….

Okay, he was getting sidetracked there for a moment. He needed to focus right now. Luckily, he managed to get himself together just in time as Professor Ozpin spoke.

"Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." The man announced.

"I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about the assignment of teams." Glynda said. "Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…..today."

Jaune heard Ruby let out a small whine at that.

Professor Ozpin continued. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well."

Jaune saw Weiss giving him a triumphant smirk.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby looked devastated and gave an indignant cry. "What?!"

The smirk fell off Weiss' face and Jaune gave her a smug look.

She glared at him and mouthed, _shut up._

Professor Ozpin then began to outline the task for their initiation. Basically, after partnering up, they needed to find an abandoned temple, retrieve a relic, and bring it back here. It sounded simple enough. Oh wait, the man also mentioned meeting some opposition so Jaune could deduce that the forest was most likely infested with a bunch Grimm waiting to ambush them. As an added bonus, the instructors get to sit back and watch teens get mauled or killed by monsters without interfering with the task. Yippee.

Despite all that Jaune flexed his shoulders and grinned. He didn't spend the last seven years training just to wimp out now.

_Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy. Besides, where would the fun be if it was?_

"Now are there any questions?" Professor Ozpin asked.

He paused for a beat and continued. "Good. Take your positions."

They all got into a stance and Weiss was the first to be launched into the air. Jaune bent his knees a little and watched as another kid was propelled into the air. He took note of the brief intervals before each student was sent flying so that he could time his own platform and add some force to his jump. He needed to get this right so that he could maximize his jump and maybe try to clear more distance that way.

Pyrrha was launched next and after three seconds the next student was sent flying. When the short haired girl was launched, he heard a distinct clicking sound just before the platform activates. That sound would be his indicator of when he needed to jump.

Jaune shared a look with Ruby and Yang. "Last one to the temple has to buy everyone sodas?"

Ruby smirked. "You're on Vomit Boy."

Yang took out a pair of aviator shades and winked at them before putting it on. Not a second later, she was launched into the air. After a brief pause, Ruby followed.

_One…Two…Three!_

Jaune heard the clicking noise and just as the platform activated, he used his legs to kick off from it like a spring board and before he knew it, he was sailing through the air.

"Yeah!" Jaune shouted as he flew through the air.

It was exhilarating. He could feel the wind whipping through his hair and clothes. He felt like a bird soaring through the sky. He wished he could savor this moment a bit longer but unfortunately, the rational part of his brain told him that it won't be as much fun to plummet to his death if he didn't find a safe way to land soon. He was nearing the highest point of his flight and soon gravity will start affecting him again.

Jaune managed to glimpse the different landing strategies the others used.

Ruby was using the recoil of Crescent Rose to slow her descent.

Weiss had used strange glyphs as platforms.

Yang looked like she was having a blast. Instead of using the recoil from her gauntlets to slow her fall, she was using them to propel her forward. It was actually a pretty smart move and she could probably pull it off.

Pyrrha used her shield to smash through the thick branches that got in her way.

Now that he was falling rapidly, he needed to think of some way to avoid getting splattered all over the forest floor. The only way he could think of was to bounce off of different tree branches or trunks to gradually lessen his momentum. As luck would have it, he found the perfect spot for him to do it.

He managed to grab onto a thick tree branch with both of his hands and swung to the next one. He quickly kicked off from the next branch as soon as his feet made contact with the wood. He quickly tucked into a roll when he landed on the ground and came up in a crouched position.

Not bad, if he did say so himself.

Now he had to find that abandoned temple and retrieve that relic. But first, he needed a partner. Ozpin said that the first person they made eye contact with would immediately be his partner for the next four years. If so, all he needed to do was to avoid eye contact with anyone he did not want to be paired with. He quickly ran through the list of possible teammates as he began to hurriedly trudge north.

Ruby was definitely on the list. She might be two years younger but there was no denying her capabilities. Her skills with Crescent Rose were nothing to sneeze at. Plus she was already his friend so that just made things easier.

Yang was also a good choice. He may not know the extent of her skills with those gauntlets but judging from the way she carried herself, he knew that she was definitely a powerhouse. She was also fun to hang out with so that was a bonus.

Then there was Pyrrha. Jaune knew that she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She didn't get famous for her looks alone. From what he remembered about his sister's gushing about her idol, she had won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. That itself spoke volumes of her skill.

So now he had three candidates for partners. He just had to be careful and avoid running into anyone else. Jaune also had to stay on the lookout for any other threats. Speaking of which…

A growl came from his left and Jaune managed to jump out of the way as an Ursa burst through the trees and took a swipe at him. He drew Excalibur and activated his shield. The creature circled him for a moment before charging again.

Jaune held his ground at the last moment. He raised his shield to block a swipe from the bear like creature and rolled to the side. He quickly got into a ready position and gripped his sword tighter. As soon as the Ursa turned to face him, it was over.

The blonde swung Excalibur in a deadly overhead cut and cleanly decapitated the creature.

Jaune stared at the disintegrating body of the Grimm and sheathed his sword. He was once again reminded of the fact that this wasn't a game. He needed to remain vigilant. More creatures were lurking somewhere in this forest and he had no intention of running into them all.

A rustling bush caught his attention and he was immediately on alert.

* * *

Weiss cursed as her dress got snagged on another bush. She had no time for this, she had to find Pyrrha or at least someone that won't slow her down and get that stupid relic. She only hoped that the girl hasn't found another partner yet. Her plan of becoming the best Huntress Beacon has ever known could only be done if she had the proper teammates.

Weiss prayed that she never ended up on a team with that Ruby girl or Jaune.

Her first day had been a disaster from the moment that stumbling idiot bumped into her. To top it off, he even barfed on her shoes, the nerve of that guy. After that, this girl dressed in a red hood and cape decided to knock over her stuff and caused a dust explosion. What a wonderful way to start at Beacon.

Suddenly, she heard the sounds of a battle nearby. Weiss drew her rapier, Myrtenaster, and cautiously made her way to the source. After a few moments, the sounds stopped and she only heard the sound of her footsteps. She scanned the vicinity but she couldn't see anyone nearby.

"Hello?" She called out. Weiss held her weapon at the ready.

She heard a twig snap somewhere and she whipped back around, prepared to skewer any Grimm that jumped out. She waited for a moment but nothing came out. She resumed her previous course when she heard a rustle in the bushes. Now she was starting to feel a bit nervous.

She took another look behind her and still found nothing.

It was then she was suddenly attacked from behind and someone covered her mouth. She was about to shout and stab whoever dared to jump her when she heard him speak.

"Wait! It's only me!" She knew that voice. "Don't scream and please don't kill me when I let go, okay?"

Her mouth was released and she turned around to find Jaune standing behind her with his eyes closed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Weiss demanded. "Don't startle me like that! I could have killed you."

"Sorry, but I had to act first. Otherwise you would've killed me anyways." Jaune replied. He still had his eyes shut for some reason.

"What do you mean by that? And why are your eyes closed?"

"Well, you see…" Jaune started to say but a terrible realization just dawned on Weiss.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening to me." Weiss complained. "Of all people, I get stuck with you as my teammate."

Jaune frowned. "Gee thanks. Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to be partnered with so when I saw you approaching I had to think fast."

"You're not making any sense."

"That's because you keep interrupting me." Jaune said, slightly annoyed. "Remember what professor Ozpin said back at the cliff? He said that the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner. So all I have to do is avoid eye contact with you."

He then pointed to his closed eyes. "I saw your dress through the bushes. You don't exactly blend in."

"So technically…" Weiss said, piecing things together. "We're not teammates?"

"No. Only if you want to be but I don't think that I was the one you had in mind." Jaune said, unknowingly talking to a tree.

The way he said it sounded a bit depressed to Weiss. He hid it well but she could tell that he was used to being rejected a lot which made her feel bad. He had been trying to apologize to her about the incident on the airship since this morning and now here he was going an extra mile for her because he knew that she didn't like him.

What had she done in return? She had been rude and stuck up around him. Now she felt even worse because when she actually thought about it, he wasn't really a bad guy. Clumsy sure, but she had seen him cracking jokes at breakfast with Ruby and her sister that got the three of them laughing.

"So if we're not going to be partners, then I'll be on my way." Jaune said, before walking straight into a tree.

For the first time in a long while, Weiss let a genuine smile show on her face. He was definitely accident prone. Strangely enough, he actually looked kind of cute with his face all scrunched up like that.

"Thanks Jaune. You can open your eyes now." Weiss said and turned around to avoid eye contact. "And apology accepted."

Without waiting for his reply, she began to walk off in the other direction.

* * *

**And that's done! And just to let you guys know I'm going to be sticking to the cannon teams. I've thought about rearranging the teams but I just couldn't think how and who to put where and it just didn't feel right. The story will somewhat follow cannon with a lot of differences and it will definitely diverge from cannon at some points that will affect the story. Also, what do you guys think about this last scene? Pyrrha better watch out mwahaha.**

**Anyways remember to leave a review! **


	5. The Forest

**What's up? Here's what's up, the next chapter. As always, I appreciate the support. I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

A large figure crouched on four legs among the thick foliage in the forest. If one were to cast a glance over the place where the creature lay hidden, they would have never seen it until it was too late. Years of experience had served the creature well. Thanks to his survival from an encounter with a certain Hunter, it was able to learn from past follies. However, the creature did not leave untouched. A long vertical scar ran down the monster's left eye.

Ever since then, it knew that it needed to grow and become stronger to hunt for the meat bags. The creature had observed that the humans were crafty little things. They had neither fang nor claws but they carried sharp and pointy objects that were fatal to it and its brethren that met the wrong end. This made killing them an even more difficult task.

For as long as it could remember, the creature had always felt the urge to hunt and kill humans. Only now did it bother to question this desire. It was a strange sensation to describe. It was like a hunger that needed to be satiated or a thirst that had to be quenched. What was odd however was the fact that it didn't need either food or water to survive. The creature had endured an entire week without eating or drinking and yet there was no notable threat to its existence.

The only thing that remained was the strong impulse to sink its fangs into a human and end them.

Nowadays however, new things began stirring within the creature. Somehow, it was able to become more aware of its surroundings. It still had the craving to kill humans but it learned to be patient. It noticed that members of his brethren died rather easily at the hands of the humans when they act mostly on impulse. It also learned that the fewer the humans, the easier it was to kill them.

That fact alone was the most horrifying. It was _learning_.

A lone human was no threat to him. It had grown over the years thanks to that particular Hunter. If it ever encountered him again, it would probably rip his throat out with and savor his agonizing sounds. For now, it would have to settle for another meat bag to satisfy it today.

As luck would have it, it picked up a scent that was not too far from its position. In fact, there were two scents now. One that reeked of sweet perfume and one that smelled like roses.

Taking long but silent strides, a large Beowolf emerged from the foliage. The beast stood at least three times larger than any of its brethren. Its claws were sharpened like knives and teeth as dangerous as an ice pick. It had been a long time since a human had wandered into these forests. The last time it encountered a human was a couple of months ago when a lone traveler decided to trudge into its territory. He never even got a chance to scream before he was torn apart.

Now it was time to search for its next prey.

* * *

Pyrrha had just finished disposing three Beowolves that tried to ambush her. She made quick work of them with her weapon Milo. Now, she was resuming her trek through the woods in the hope of finding a partner. Preferably a certain blonde boy…

She had landed on a high tree branch after she was launched from the cliff and used her rifle scope to locate where Jaune would most likely touchdown. Pyrrha was able to see him disappear into the trees that were a good distance from where she was perched. She hopped down from the tree and landed in a graceful crouch. If she hoped to find him, she needed to be quick to ensure that he hasn't teamed up with anyone else. The girl had seen some of the others land within the area close to the boy and that made her hasten her efforts.

She kept her weapon and shield drawn as she made her way through the forest. Constantly scanning her surroundings, she made sure nothing would get the jump on her. These woods were home to some of the Grimm and she couldn't afford to be careless.

Pyrrha was determined to be on a team with the blonde boy. He was different from most of the people she had ever interacted with. Part of her knew that she was being silly. She hardly knew anything about him and they barely held a conversation longer than a few minutes but that was about it. He was most likely looking for one of the girls she saw accompanying him when he walked out of the locker room.

The other part of her was still determined to find him. From their brief encounter, she could tell that he was a good person. Pyrrha had no idea how she could prove that but she had a feeling she was right. The only good thing that came from her celebrity status was that it made her a good judge in character. Jaune just had that kind of trustworthy and open look in his eyes that made you feel at ease. Plus, he didn't treat her like all of her other fans and admirers when they first heard her name.

It also helped that he was far from bad looking with his messy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and cute grin….

The girl blushed as her thoughts trailed off. _Focus Pyrrha, _She thought.

Then she heard a few leaves crunch underfoot from somewhere to her left. Reacting reflexively, thinking it was another Grimm, she threw her spear through the foliage at the source of the disturbance. The girl heard Milo embed itself on a tree not too far away and after waiting for a moment, Pyrrha went off in the same direction to retrieve her weapon.

She was shocked to say the least when she found a very pale Jaune staring at the spear that looked like it nearly impaled him. The boy stood stock still with the weapon a few inches from his face. He gulped and slowly turned his face toward a very embarrassed looking redhead.

"Oh Jaune, I'm so sorry! I thought you were a monster!" She apologized and rushed forward to retrieve Milo and sheath her weapon.

The boy gave a nervous laugh and swallowed. "N-no worries, you were just being cautious."

She fidgeted a little uncomfortably and was unsure of what to say next. She didn't have a lot of experience with starting conversations. Other people usually did that for her. People always saw her as this confident young woman that could do anything. It was true to an extent. She was confident about her physical and mental capabilities as a warrior. What she lacked however was the proper social skills when it came to interacting with people. Besides, what do you even say to a boy you nearly stabbed with a spear?

Failing to notice her conflicting thoughts, Jaune cleared his throat. "So…uh, have you found someone to team up with?"

"Well, no. I haven't actually." Pyrrha replied.

"Me too." Jaune said.

There was a bit of silence after that and the blonde was the first to break it.

"So I guess this makes us teammates then huh?" Jaune said, looking at her straight in the eyes and offering a small smile.

Pyrrha returned the smile. "I guess it does."

They began their trek north at a quick pace. The sun was perched at the top of the sky meaning it was around noon. Thankfully, the trees provided ample amount of shade and blotted out most of the heat while still providing a good amount of light. Pyrrha led the way while Jaune stayed a few paces behind her to cover the rear just in case.

The two avoided small talk and tried to make as little noise as possible. Pyrrha didn't mind. She knew that they were in the middle of a Grimm infested forest and attracting any attention would not be the best idea.

But when this initiation was over, they would have many chances to talk since they were teammates now. And maybe, she might actually be able to form a significant bond with someone that could appreciate her as herself and not as the girl on the cereal box.

* * *

Weiss was beginning to wonder what she had done wrong for her karma to be this bad. First, she had the worst first day at Beacon thanks to some people vomiting and blowing up on her. Second, she failed to team up with Pyrrha, the ideal partner for her, so now her dream of being on a really popular team with the Mistral Champion was slowly slipping away. Lastly, she had gotten stuck with Ruby as her teammate.

"What's the hurry?" Ruby called out from behind her as the Schnee heiress walked ahead.

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow." Weiss replied. "I swear if I get a bad grade because of your-what the-?"

Weiss felt a small gust of wind as Ruby suddenly appeared in front of her with a smile. "I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"

"When did-?" Weiss started, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Weiss, just because I don't know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters."

The younger girl stepped up to her and threw an arm around Weiss's shoulders. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today Weiss. And after it's all over you're going to be like 'Wow, that Ruby girl is really, really cool and I want to be your friend.'"

She then disappeared in a swirl of rose petals.

Ugh, that girl irritated Weiss to no end. She was clumsy, talkative, and too childish. How did she even get accepted into beacon anyway? She was obviously younger than everyone here and yet she was still allowed to take part in this initiation. The heiress knew that she must be a special case of some sort or else Ruby probably wouldn't even be here. However, the fact remains that Weiss wanted a better partner.

Heck, she even felt a bit regretful that she had turned down Jaune's offer. At least he seemed to possess a level head and didn't seem like the type to rush into things without thinking about it.

The heiress inhaled deeply. There was no use thinking about it now. She had to make do with what she was given and press on with her head held high.

Before she could follow after her partner, a rustling of bushes made her pause. "Ruby?"

No answer.

"Hello?" Weiss called out a bit unsure.

Then from all around her, a pack of Beowolves emerged from the forest. Weiss counted at least seven of the creatures. She was trapped in the middle of the ring they formed around her. She drew her rapier and got into her position. She straightened her back, held her head high, and adjusted her footing.

Great, just when she might actually need some backup, her teammate was nowhere to be found.

On the other hand, the heiress was perfectly capable of defending herself. She wouldn't have gotten into Beacon if she didn't have what it took to become a Huntress. A couple of wolf monsters should be easy to handle.

She adjusted her rapier and chose a red dust crystal and lunged at the nearest wolf. She flew like a bullet and was about to thrust when Ruby suddenly appeared and sliced the Beowolf in half. The heiress stumbled to a stop and managed to redirect her aim before the rapier fired off and set a nearby tree ablaze.

Another wolf lunged and took a swipe at Ruby but the younger girl managed to block the strike with her scythe. The force of the blow however knocked her over to where Weiss was.

"Hey, watch it!" Ruby said.

"Excuse me?" Weiss snapped. The younger girl's tone irked her. "You attacked out of turn. I could've killed you!"

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that." Ruby muttered. Weiss heard this and rolled her eyes.

They stood shoulder to shoulder as more monsters appeared from the woods. Currently, there were now a dozen wolves ready to rip them to shreds. Ruby inserted a fresh cartridge into her weapon while Weiss switched for a blue dust crystal. They were about to attack but then a loud and piercing howl cut through the atmosphere.

The sound washed over everything in the clearing and made them all pause for a moment.

The effect was instantaneous. The wolves all began to whimper and back away from them. Even some of the bigger ones among the pack looked a bit unnerved and slowly took steps back. Before long, each of the monsters had retreated back into the forest, leaving the two girls standing there, confused.

"Okay, what just happened?" Ruby asked, completely bewildered.

Weiss shook her head. "I don't know. They just left…"

The heiress had a very bad feeling about this. A sudden chill was making its way up her spine, not that she would ever admit this out loud. Something was definitely wrong. Beowolves don't just retreat without a proper reason. It was almost as if something had scared them…

"Weiss, look out!" Ruby shouted in alarm.

Before the heiress could even react, she felt something massive barrel into her from the side. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet and made her lose her grip on her weapon. She tumbled onto her side and rolled a little bit before coming to a stop. It was then that she got a good look at what hit her.

It was the biggest Beowolf she had ever seen. The beast stood at a respectable height of seven feet while it was hunched over. The spikes protruding from its arms and spine were longer and sharper. Weiss could also spot a couple of places where normal skin had been replaced by tough bone-like armor. The beast's head swiveled from side to side, switching from Ruby to her. Weiss noted a long scar on the left side of the wolf's face.

From where she was, Ruby cocked her weapon, took aim and began firing shots at the large wolf. However, this proved ineffective because most of the shots bounced off of the beast's tough armor. Still, this only served to anger the wolf. The beast growled and crouched down before lunging at the scythe wielder with amazing agility.

The beast made a zigzag pattern to avoid getting hit by Ruby's rifle as it quickly cleared the distance between them. Ruby prepared to swing her scythe when she saw the beast was ready to take a swipe at her. She moved Crescent Rose to intercept the attack when the girl was suddenly blindsided by the other claw. The creature's powerful attack raked across the girl's stomach and knocked her into a tree.

Luckily for Ruby, she had activated her Aura just in time before it connected otherwise she would have been seriously injured. The force of the blow was still painful but she couldn't afford to get distracted now. She had not expected that fast follow up attack.

Meanwhile, Weiss had managed to get back on her feet and retrieve her weapon. When she turned back to the battle, the heiress saw Ruby slam into a nearby tree. The Beowolf stalked toward the girl but Weiss was not about to let it take another step.

"Take this!" Weiss thrust her weapon into the ground and tall spikes made of ice erupted from the ground as it began to quickly make its way to the beast. The Beowolf managed to avoid being frozen by leaping backward.

The ice formed a small barrier between the girls and the wolf. The heiress quickly made her way over and stood next to Ruby as the girl cocked her weapon again. The two faced the wolf that was pacing back and forth on the other side of the small ice wall.

"That thing is fast." Ruby said.

The heiress nodded. "Yeah, it's strong too. I've never seen this kind of Beowolf before"

"And it has some tough armor. I can't make any good shots." Ruby agreed. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Weiss was about to speak when a strange thing happened. A sudden gust of wind blew through the area and disappeared just as quickly as it came. The bizarre thing was it seemed to have an effect on the beast. Its head immediately snapped up and started sniffing the air. Then it let out a low guttural growl before taking off into the woods.

The two girls stood there, staring at the direction in where the creature had left.

"Uh, what just happened?" Ruby asked, obviously baffled by the turn of events.

"I wish I knew." Weiss replied. She didn't have a clue either. "Come on, we have to go or else we'll be caught in the fire."

The Schnee heiress did take note of a small detail. The creature took off in the direction where the wind had come from.

* * *

Jaune felt a strong breeze pass through the area where he and Pyrrha were walking. It was only for a moment and stopped abruptly afterwards. He came to a halt when he heard something off in the distance. He scanned the surrounding area and was rewarded with the sight of a smoke column from somewhere behind them.

"Pyrrha, look," Jaune said, pointing toward the smoke. The warrior followed his line of sight and spotted the rising column.

The girl nodded curtly. "Gunfire, it seems that some of our comrades have engaged the enemy."

"Yeah," Jaune took another moment to stare. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure that they are capable of facing any danger that they may come across." Pyrrha assured him.

Jaune tried for a smile. "I know they can but I just can't help but wonder a little bit."

There was a slight pause before Pyrrha decided to speak up. "Are you worried about your friends?"

"You mean Ruby and Yang? Yeah, I guess you could say so." Jaune admitted. "I know that I just met them yesterday and all but I can already tell that they're good people. Besides, it's natural to look out for your friends."

"That must be nice, to have someone looking out for you." Pyrrha said. Jaune didn't fail to notice the wistful tone of her voice. "Anyway, we should probably keep moving. We will probably meet up with them at the temple."

She began to walk ahead and Jaune followed.

As they continued, the blonde couldn't help but stare at the girl in front of him. Judging from the way she just spoke, Pyrrha must not have a lot of people to call friends, at least, not real ones anyway. She probably had hordes of admirers and fans that considered themselves her "friends" but it could never compare to the real thing.

The more Jaune thought about it, the angrier he felt. He had been ridiculed and ignored for the most part of his younger life and this hampered his ability to form any kind of bond with anyone from his age group back at home. Here was a smart and talented girl that could mop the floor with most fighters and yet people only wanted to get to know her because of the attention she received in the hopes of entering the spotlight themselves. In one way or another, Pyrrha was just as alone as he had been.

_Well, things are about to change_.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune addressed the girl.

"Yes?" Pyrrha curiously turned her head to face him.

"I have a favor to ask of you." Jaune said in a serious tone.

"What is it?"

The blonde exhaled deeply. "I need you to help me win a bet."

The girl only stared at him with a blank expression. "What?"

"See, I kind of have this bet going with Ruby and Yang and we agreed that the last one to reach the temple will have to treat everyone to sodas afterward. I seriously don't want to lose. They'll probably rub it in if I do."

"I'll… do my best?" Pyrrha said, unsure with where this conversation was going.

Jaune clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Oh come on. Help a friend out here."

At that point, Pyrrha's eyes had widened as she heard what he just said. Her mouth hung open a bit. She looked as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She studied his face intently as if looking for any sign of deception or falsity.

"Alright, I'll cut you a deal." Jaune said. "If we win, I'll make sure they buy you a soda too. What do you think?"

He held out his hand and gave her a genuine smile. Pyrrha switched her gaze between his hand and his face. She seemed to come to a silent conclusion and hesitantly shook his hand. It was at this point that Jaune decided to get his meaning across without being misinterpreted.

"In case I'm not clear enough," Jaune said, gripping her hand firmly. "You're going to have to put up with me from now on since we're partners now. Might as well be friends to make things easier, right? I have to warn you though, I have a really bad case of airsickness and I tend to get cranky if I don't get my three meals a day."

At that point, Jaune never knew that a person could look as radiant as Pyrrha when she beamed at him.

"I think I can handle it." Pyrrha said confidently. "I've faced bigger challenges before."

"Good, because I don't want my new friend to get grossed out if I ever have to puke my guts out when I'm on an airship."

The redhead giggled and tried to cover it up with her free hand.

_She has a cute laugh_, Jaune couldn't help but think to himself.

"Alright, let's get moving." The blonde said. "I can already see a nice cool can of soda with my name on it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Professor Ozpin stood atop of the cliff where the students had been launched, overlooking the vast expanse of the Emerald forest. He held a scroll in his hand and studied the live footage of the events that were unfolding thanks to the multiple hidden cameras set up at certain locations. He was currently observing the progress of Ruby Rose and her partner, Weiss Schnee.

Apparently, the two had just finished from a battle but Ozpin frowned when he replayed the footage. The camera was hindered due to the amount of smoke generated from the forest fire. Visibility was limited. However, the spectacled man did catch a glimpse of a very large creature engaging the two girls. Whatever it was, it had fled into the woods after a short pause in their battle.

The professor tried to track the creature's progress but was unsuccessful in this endeavor. It was slightly troubling but he could think more on that later.

Currently, the two girls were having a small argument over which direction the temple was.

He heard someone approach him from behind and was not surprised to see Glynda stopping beside him.

"Our last pair has been formed, sir." She informed him as she tapped on her own scroll. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, poor boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, we can only wait and see how things progress from here. By their current pace, they should reach the temple in a few minutes."

The man only hummed in reply, not taking his eyes of his own scroll. He didn't even bother to reply as Glynda asked what type of relics he had used this year when she walked away. The headmaster was more interested in the events that were transpiring in the forest.

He tapped on another live feed that showed Ms. Nikos and Mr. Arc.

Ozpin had to admit that he didn't think anything of the young man when he read his transcripts. He passed the physical examination with more or less average scores and while his academic test results were very promising, it was still within the capabilities of a dozen other students who took the entrance tests. If one were to look for him in the face of a hundred students, you would be hard pressed to find Mr. Arc among them.

But now, Ozpin was starting to realize the amount of potential the young man possessed.

He seemed to be an adept fighter by taking out an Ursa a few minutes after landing. The headmaster also factored in his involvement in the Dust robbery where Glynda had intervened. The boy was certainly no push over when it came to battles.

However, the quality that impressed the headmaster the most was the boy's keen intellect. He had managed to avoid being partnered up with Weiss by using Ozpin's own instructions to his advantage. It was the first time he had ever seen a student thinking out of the box while others seemed to take the headmasters word at face value. They had yet to learn that not everything would be explained to them and that they were expected to become independent minded one day.

Apparently, the boy had been trained by someone who was very well aware of the requirements needed to face the real world. Ozpin was sure that he had a good idea on who it might be. He was one of the few people that remembered the vital role the Arc family has played in the war before they faded out of the spotlight.

Only time will tell if the boy was ready to take up the legacy of his family.

* * *

"This is definitely not the temple." Jaune couldn't help but state the obvious.

The two of them stood just outside the mouth of a cave that was at the base of a small cliff. The blonde spotted some primitive cave paintings along the outer wall. The roughly drawn stick figures depicted a bunch of men holding spears that were trying to fend off what looked to be a giant scorpion. There was only one scorpion that could possibly grow to that size and Jaune had no wish to meet one up close…again.

A Deathstalker was a tough Grimm to slay. His grandfather made sure that he would be well prepared for any encounter with the many species of Grimm. This particular one had a very thick shell that made it difficult for a weapon to pierce. Unfortunately, you have to get past the massive pincers and long deadly tail before you could even dream of scratching the beast.

He did manage to kill a smaller one during his training, but even then it was a fierce battle. The blonde wasn't in the mood to see what a full grown Deathstalker looked like in person. Besides, the mission was not to go looking for trouble but to retrieve a relic and return to the cliffs.

"You're right." Pyrrha conceded. "We should keep heading north and pick up the pace a little bit."

"Sounds good," Jaune agreed and the two soon continued their trek through the forest.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two trainees, the cave did in fact serve as a home to a certain Grimm but not the one they originally assumed. The creature that once dwelled within the cave had vacated a week ago and never returned. However, the cave did not sit unoccupied for long before a newcomer decided to claim it.

This particular Grimm was much more sensitive to sounds and smell than most of its kind. It had been resting on its paws when the sound of voices echoed around the cave. It was faint but it could hear it perfectly. It recognized that sound.

That was the sound of his prey.

The massive beast then stood on all fours at its full height in the darkness. It licked its lips in anticipation before letting loose a loud…

"ROOOOOAR!"

* * *

The sound carried over a good distance and eventually made the two partners freeze in their tracks.

"Uh…you heard that too right?" Jaune asked to which the redhead only nodded. "Oh good, I'm not hearing things."

The sound of pounding steps crashing through the trees could be heard and was closing in fast. Jaune quickly unsheathed his weapon and activated his shield. Pyrrha did the same and the two of them turned to face the source of the commotion that was heading toward them.

It was at that moment that a hulking figure crashed through the trees and stood in full view.

It was a Grimm like they had never seen before. The beast resembled a mountain lion of some sort but that was where most of the similarities ended. Its size was comparable to a very large Ursa but it looked twice as deadly. Jaune noted the rippling mass of muscles, the large maw that could tear off a person's head with its dagger like teeth, and the razor sharp looking claws. He also spotted a spike at the end of its tail.

"What kind of Grimm is that?" Pyrrha asked and got into a fighting stance.

Jaune raised his shield a little higher before replying. "I have no idea and that makes it all the more dangerous. Be careful and don't take any risks. We don't know what it can do."

The lion snarled at them before crouching low and in the next instant, pounced at them. The two Hunters rolled away in opposite directions and avoided the attack. However, the two didn't expect it to react so quickly because as soon as its feet touched the ground, it launched itself again toward Jaune.

The blonde was able to deflect the powerful swipe with his shield but the force of the strike made him slam against a nearby tree.

The beast was about to pounce again but Pyrrha began firing her weapon to distract it. The lion growled before setting its sights on the girl and leaped in her direction. The redhead sprang to her left and continued firing Dust ammunition. However, as fast as a cobra, the lion's tail shot toward Pyrrha and quickly disarmed her.

Before the Grimm could lash out at her, Jaune quickly took action and swung his sword and managed to cut a wound into the beast's left hind leg. This gave Pyrrha the moment she needed to retrieve her weapon. The lion moved to intercept the girl but Jaune blocked its path and slammed his shield hard into the lion's face.

"Jaune!" He heard his partner call out. Jaune turned just in time to see Pyrrha running in his direction. He quickly made the connection with what she had in mind. He held his shield up above his head and crouched down on one knee. The redhead jumped onto his shield before Jaune pushed upward with all of his might, sending his partner rocketing in the air.

The Grimm snarled at the blonde knight before a spear pierced its shoulder from above. The beast cried out in fury as Pyrrha pulled out her spear and leaped back to stand next to her partner. Unfortunately, before they could respond, the lion was suddenly in front of them and swatted them away with the force of a powerful battering ram. The two managed to activate their aura just in time before they broke through a tree with their bodies.

"Damn that hurt." Jaune panted as he got back on his feet. "We need to fall back for now."

"It's too fast. We won't be able to put enough distance between us." Pyrrha said.

She was right. The Grimm was definitely built for speed and power. The two hunters kept their eyes locked onto its movements as it began to circle them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Jaune noticed the slight limp it gained due to its two injuries: A long cut on its hind leg and a pierced shoulder. However, these looked to be only minor hindrances for the creature.

Jaune did not like their odds at the moment. They were surrounded by thick trees which left little room for them to move freely. He also didn't like the fact that another threat could emerge while engaging the lion and he did not want to take any chances. Being ambushed by another Grimm while they were engaged in combat was not a pleasing thought.

"Pyrrha, when I give you the signal, I want you to run as fast as you can." Jaune said, while slipping his shield hand into one of his pouches. "We'll split up and try to draw its attention away from the other. Make your way north as quick as you can. We should be close to the temple by now and we'll regroup there."

The redhead was about to protest but Jaune cut her off. "We don't have time to argue! Another Grimm might catch us off guard while fighting. Our best bet is to get to the temple and hopefully meet up with the others who have made it there. I'll give us a head start."

Pyrrha looked troubled, obviously not liking the idea. Nonetheless, she gave him a grudging nod.

He then took out two dust crystals, one that was color yellow while the other was a plain white. Jaune saw the creature crouch down on all fours, ready to spring into action, and started pumping some of his aura into the two crystals. The two objects began to emit a slight glow and the knight knew that he only had a few seconds before they activated.

The lion then pushed itself from the ground and flew at the two partners, claws extended and maw opened. As soon as Jaune saw the beast move, he flung the two crystals at the Grimm before they exploded in a great big flash.

"Run, now!" Jaune shouted. He locked eyes with Pyrrha for a moment before she dashed away while he sprinted in another direction. Behind him, he heard the Grimm unleash a howl of pain and rage.

The yellow crystal had managed to produce a large amount of lightning while the other was meant to be used like a flash-bang grenade. He figured that the shock would paralyze it for a moment while the sudden flash would blind it to give them a head start. Either way, the Grimm was bound to follow one of them but at least there was a great deal of distance between the two hunters and the beast. Hopefully it pursued him instead of Pyrrha.

Now all he needed was to focus on staying alive long enough to get to the temple, meet up with his partner, and finish this stupid initiation.

* * *

Pyrrha couldn't help but worry about her partner as she ran through the forest. She had been about to oppose the idea of splitting up but the blonde had cut her off before she even got the chance. It was a risky move in her opinion that could end badly in many ways.

On the other hand, his reasoning was quite logical. He didn't seem to be the type to act recklessly without pondering the consequences. Once he had thrown the Dust Crystals, Pyrrha had no choice but to go through with Jaune's plan. The redhead hoped he was right about the others already arriving at the temple. They needed more manpower if they wanted to take down this kind of Grimm.

_Please be careful Jaune,_ Pyrrha thought to herself as she picked up her pace.

* * *

There was no mistaking it now. The young man sprinting through the forest was definitely the one.

The wolf Grimm that had faced off with Ruby watched as the blonde unknowingly dashed past its line of sight. A feeling of excitement bubbled up within the creature. It finally had the chance to repay the hunter in kind for what he did.

The Grimm found it a bit odd however, since the young man appeared to have not aged a day. Strange, don't humans age? He looked the same from all those years ago. The hunter did seem to have a variation of the clothing it used to wear and his hair was a bit longer and shaggier than before but the scent was still the same.

The scar on its face seemed to burn as if it was made fresh by the person who gave it a long time ago.

Rising from its position, it began to stealthily follow the blonde's progress. The Grimm would wait for the right moment to strike. It had learned from its previous encounter. The wolf would not be making the same mistake of underestimating him again. A new burning desire to tear him apart limb from limb grew with every step. It was difficult to describe, but deep down all it wanted was one thing.

Revenge.

* * *

**And done. Okay so that was slightly longer than the previous chapters. So what do you guys think of my own two Grimm? I just feel like doing something different from the Deathstalker fight since everyone already knows how that will end. So that's it for now. As always, leave you reviews and tell me what you think! **


	6. Team

**Yo, me again. Now enough about me and let's get back to the story. I don't own RWBY yadda, yadda (Seriously, why do I even bother putting disclaimers when I'm pretty sure all of you know this?) and again, your support and reviews really motivate me to write more so thanks.**

* * *

_A young thirteen year old Jaune laid in an exhausted heap on the ground as he greedily gulped down huge amounts of oxygen. His whole body ached and he barely had any strength left to move. His t-shirt was soaked in his sweat and had smears of mud all over it. He just wanted to lay there and pass out but his grandfather had other ideas._

"_Get up boy!" His grandpa commanded as he sat on a nearby tree stump. "We still have a few hours of daylight left so don't waste it and try again!" _

"_Are you serious?" Jaune asked in disbelief. "In case you haven't noticed Gramps, I can barely move as it is. I've been running through these exercises from dawn to sunset for the last three weeks! When am I going to learn something useful like how to use weapons?"_

_From the moment that the heavy snows of winter began to die down to make room for spring, his grandpa had introduced him to a new training regime that was downright mind-numbing that he could never think straight every time they finished. The exercises themselves were pretty straightforward. Run from here to there, climb this tree, scale that cliff, balance these rocks while holding this position, and do push-ups were some of the things his grandfather made him do every day. The only thing that infuriated the boy was the fact that his trainer never seemed satisfied with his results and would always tell him to repeat the exercise._

_His grandfather's reasons often ranged from logical to whimsical. Sometimes Jaune would be asked to repeat an exercise because he was expected to accomplish it faster or better. Most of the time, he would be redoing a task because he had failed to meet some sort of quota for it. They eventually fell into a routine where the boy would always be too tired to move by the end of the day._

_At some point, Jaune secretly wondered if his grandfather was some sort of sadist. _

_His grandfather's lack of a response irritated him a little bit. "Seriously, how am I supposed to become a Hunter if I don't know how to use a weapon? I'm tired of doing these pointless exercises! What good is it if I know how to climb a tree or carry some rocks? We're wasting time—,"_

_Jaune paused with his ranting when he felt the sharp end of a sword poking his neck. His eyes traveled up the length of the blade and came into contact with his grandfather's hard eyes. A scowl marred his features as he stood over the boy._

"_Pretend I'm a Beowolf." His grandfather instructed. "Now I'm about to kill you. Defend yourself."_

_Jaune blinked a couple of times. "Well that's not fair. I don't have a weapon and I'm tired."_

_Clearly this was the wrong thing to say as his grandfather crouched and looked him dead in the eyes with an angry scowl._

"_Do you honestly think that a Grimm will care whether you have a weapon or not?!" His grandfather demanded. "A Grimm won't hesitate to rip your head off the moment it lays eyes on you and it certainly won't give you the luxury of catching your breathe. Out there, in the real world, it all comes down to two choices: Life or death. Which would you prefer boy?" _

As the memory faded, Jaune had never felt more grateful for his grandfather's training as he slowed to a jog through the forest. It was thanks to those grueling exercises that he was only getting slightly winded when he should have been gasping for air given the distance he'd traveled over a short time. Hopefully the Leo Grimm would be after him instead of Pyrrha.

As he ran, the blonde remained vigilant and attentive to his surroundings. It would do no good to be ambushed now. He could not afford to be delayed. The sooner he could meet up with his partner at the temple, the closer they were to finishing their test. Admittedly, he also wanted to get to the temple before Ruby or Yang. He could seriously use a nice cool can of soda about now.

Jaune was snapped out of his musings when he thought he heard something odd. He was immediately on alert as he did a quick scan of the trees around him. He found nothing out of the ordinary but he could tell that something didn't feel right.

The blonde quickened his pace and strained his ears to find out if anything was out of place. He could hear the leaves crunching under his feet, the slight rustle of the leaves as a gentle wind blew past, and the birds fluttering about. He quickly familiarized himself with the sounds when he caught a slight disturbance after a few minutes.

It was faint, so soft that you would never have noticed it if you weren't listening for it, but it was there. Jaune could just barely make out the soft padding sound in the distance. The sound was keeping pace with him and it was almost in perfect sync to his own footfalls. The only way the blonde was able to discern it was because of the slight pause in between the sound of his own steps. Otherwise, it moved exactly in time with his jog.

This sent Jaune on edge because it only meant one thing…

He was being followed.

The young knight spared a glimpse over his shoulder but found nothing but empty forest behind him. Had he been imagining it? Maybe his nerves were still adjusting from his previous battle. However, he had a gut feeling that there was definitely something behind him.

_Trust your instincts._

He was about to go into a full sprint but that was when he heard the most bizarre sound.

"YEEEEHAAAW!"

What the heck was that?

* * *

Ren was not a person that was fazed easily. He maintained a calm and level head most of the time. Growing up with a friend like Nora, the boy could honestly say that he'd seen his fair share of strange and outrageous sights. The girl always had a knack for getting into the craziest situations and of course, she never failed to drag him along for the ride.

"Giddy up!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully as she rode atop an Ursa.

Ren sighed. _Some things never change._

"Look Ren! I found us a ride!" She called down at him. The girl was completely nonplussed by the fact that the Ursa was desperately trying to buck her off. However, the beast's efforts were futile as she held strong and remained seated on the back of its neck. "Ooh, Ren, I can see the temple from here! Let's go! Mush!"

She took out her hammer, Magnhild, and slammed it onto the Grimm's back. A small pink explosion erupted from the point of impact and sent the Grimm blundering forward through the trees. Ren could only shake his head at his friend's antics. That girl would be the death of him one of these days.

"Holy crap," A voice spoke and Ren whirled around to the source.

A boy with blonde hair and light armor stood dumbfounded as he stared at the direction where Nora had left. Ren recognized him as the student who had thrown up on the airship. Although, he kept that detail to himself as it would be considered rude to bring it up. He had also seen this boy accompanied by a tall blonde girl and a shorter girl in a red hood during breakfast.

The boy turned his gaze on him. "Did that girl just ride off on an Ursa?"

He regarded him for a moment before replying. "Yes. My partner can be very…spontaneous at times."

"No kidding." The boy said as he approached. "I'm Jaune Arc by the way."

Ren shook his outstretched hand. "Lie Ren and the girl you saw riding the Ursa was Nora."

Jaune nodded and briefly glanced behind him. He seemed to be agitated by something. Ren followed his gaze but found nothing to warrant such behavior. Perhaps he was being pursued? It was an apt possibility since the blonde looked slightly winded and nervous. Taking another glance down the path where the blonde had come from, Ren found no sign of immediate danger.

"Is something wrong Jaune?" Ren prodded curiously.

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure but I think I'm being watched."

Ren thoroughly gave the surrounding area a quick scan. He could not sense anything that would be considered threatening but still, it never hurt to be too careful. If Jaune was right, then there was a possibility of being blindsided by an unseen foe.

"Where is your partner if you don't mind me asking?" Ren inquired. Quite some time had already passed since the beginning of the initiation and it was highly improbable to still be alone this late in the game.

"We were forced to separate while fighting a Grimm." Jaune replied. "We promised to meet up at the temple."

After a few seconds of silence, Jaune cleared his throat. "We should probably catch up with your partner before she gets too far."

Ren merely nodded in agreement before breaking into a run in the direction where Nora claimed to lead straight to the temple, the blonde followed closely beside him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jaune taking slightly furtive glances behind them, looking for threats that apparently only he knew about. Perhaps it was the Grimm that forced him and his partner to split up that was pursuing him?

For their sake, Ren hoped that the blonde was just being cautious.

* * *

In retrospect, Ruby had to concede with Weiss. Riding on top of a huge Nevermore to make it to the temple seemed like a good idea at the time and things had gone smoothly for the most part. She was feeling pretty proud of herself when she spotted the temple below them. It was at that point that she was confronted with a new problem: How in Remnant were they going to get down there?

She glanced nervously back at her partner who was clinging tightly to the bird's giant feathers while giving Ruby a stern glare. She didn't want Weiss to think that she couldn't follow through with her plan so she proposed that they both jump. The younger girl never heard her partner's protest as she released her hold on the Grimm's feathers and began to fall to the ground.

At some point during her descent, Ruby realized that there were no trees for her to use like she did with her landing strategy. She could barely make out two figures already at the temple. However, her biggest concern at the moment was the rapidly approaching ground below her. So, she did the only natural thing…

"HEAD'S UP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs while her arms flailed around helplessly in mid-air.

She closed her eyes just before she was about to come into contact with the ground. However, she was surprised when she heard a grunt as a pair of arms caught her and a body cushioned her fall. Ruby cracked her eyes open to find herself lying on top of her sister.

"Quite the entrance sis, but maybe next time, land on someone else." Yang grinned at her.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked the blonde.

Ruby helped her up and smiled at her. "Thanks Yang!"

"No problem. How'd you get up there anyway?"

"Well, you see—," Ruby was interrupted by the sound of an Ursa bursting through the trees and thrashing wildly. The odd thing was, they spotted a girl riding atop the creature who looked like she was having the time of her life. A pink explosion went off before the Ursa fell face first and remained still.

"Aw, it's broken." The short-haired girl pouted.

Two others emerged from behind the dead Grimm and Ruby recognized one of them immediately. She waved enthusiastically as Jaune quickly made his way over to them. The other boy followed behind him.

"Glad you made it Jauney-boy." Yang greeted him with a sly grin. "If memory serves me correctly, then I think you owe us some refreshments later."

Jaune clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Darn. I thought for sure I'd at least beat Ruby getting here."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" was the indignant cry of said girl. Ruby scowled at the blonde knight.

The boy only chuckled at her reaction. He turned back to the other boy and gestured to him. "Almost forgot, this is Ren and his partner Nora. I ran into them earlier. Ren this is Ruby and Yang."

"Hi."

"'Sup?"

Ren nodded in greeting and offered a small smile. All of them turned to look at Nora as she picked up a golden rook chess piece and began going through a series of poses while singing "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" The small group laughed a little at her antics while her partner gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh yeah, Jaune, I'd like you to meet my partner Blake." Yang threw an arm over the other girls shoulder.

"You poor girl—ouch, I mean nice to meet you Blake!" Jaune rubbed the arm where Yang punched him. Ruby giggled at this while the raven-haired girl cracked a small smile. "Hey, by any chance have any of you seen Pyrrha on the way here? We got separated while fighting a Grimm."

"I don't think you have to look far Jaune." Ren spoke up and pointed at the girl emerging from the forest.

A relieved smile made its way onto her face as she saw Jaune and hurriedly made her way toward them. The knight met her halfway and gave her a quick hug which lasted only for a second. However, Ruby spotted a slight pink hue appearing on the girl's face as they broke apart. They brought each other up to speed about the events that took place after they were split up and Jaune introduced her to the others.

"So is the gang all here?" Yang asked.

Ruby fidgeted with her thumbs. "Well, not exactly…"

"Ooh look Ren, she's riding on a Grimm too! No fair, I want to fly!" Nora complained as she pointed up at the Nevermore circling above them. Sure enough, Weiss could be seen dangling from one of its massive talons but given the circumstances, not for long.

"She's going to fall." Blake commented offhandedly.

"She'll be fine." Ruby assured them.

"She's falling." Ren deadpanned as the Schnee heiress plummeted toward the ground.

Everyone merely watched as the girl fell, knowing full well that she could easily make glyphs to serve as a platform or better yet, slow her descent. However, doubt began to creep in as each second passed with Weiss simply falling.

Jaune turned to Ruby. "Why isn't she using her glyphs?"

"She might have used up a considerable amount of Aura before this." Pyrrha ventured. "Or she might be in a state of slight panic, preventing her from taking action."

Ruby was seriously getting worried. It had been her idea to use the Nevermore and now, her partner was in trouble because of her. She needed to think of some way to help her. Maybe she could use her Semblance to catch her before she could hit the ground? It was worth a shot but what if she missed? She was falling too fast and Ruby doubted whether she would make in time. Nonetheless, she prepared to use her speed but someone had apparently beaten her to the punch.

"Yang, throw me as hard as you can!" Jaune said.

"You got it!"

The blonde brawler grabbed his arm and spun him around before using her superior strength to send him flying to intercept the heiress. Jaune wrapped his arms around the girl's waist as soon as he made contact and flipped them over so that he was at the bottom. The two of them crashed into the ground and skidded to a halt a few yards away from the rest.

Ruby let out a relieved sigh. She was about to make her way over to the two with the other behind her but then a huge hulking Grimm burst from the trees and unleashed a mighty roar. Unfortunately for them, the Grimm was now only a few feet away from their friends.

* * *

Jaune groaned as he came to his senses. Thankfully, the fall wasn't too bad and he might have bruised his back a little bit but his Aura would have it healed in no time. Yang had one hell of a throw judging by the distance he traveled, not to mention how fast he was going. He looked up to see Weiss clutching on to his hoodie while her face was buried on his breastplate. The blonde called her name to get her attention.

The pale girl looked up from his chest and stared at him for a moment. It was then that Jaune noticed a small scar running over her left eye. You would never have seen it from afar or simply glancing at her face. It was at that moment they began to realize the rather intimate position they were in with his hands around her waist and her hands on his chest.

Weiss turned tomato red and hastily pushed herself off of him. "Y-You fiend, how dare you wrap your hands around me like that!"

The blonde rolled his eyes and got back on his feet. "You're welcome princess."

"I didn't need your help! I was fully prepared to handle the situation on my own." She huffed and crossed her arms.

"It sure didn't look like it. Listen—," Whatever Jaune was about to say was interrupted by the sound of something large crashing through the trees a few feet away from them.

The Leo Grimm he and Pyrrha had faced let loose a great roar and instantly set its sights on the two of them.

_Crap._

"Run!" Jaune said as he quickly drew his sword. He grabbed onto Weiss's wrist and tugged her along as he broke into a sprint. The sound of dust bullets being fired were heard as he saw the others unloading onto the Leo. He risked a glance behind him and saw that while it seemed to slow it down, the shots only served to annoy the beast as it took no notable damage.

Weiss quickly drew her rapier and created a glyph underneath them. The rune served to propel them forward and the two huntsmen in training stumbled into a halt next to the others.

"Jaune, is that the Grimm you were telling me about?" Ren questioned as he continued to shoot the Grimm.

The blonde knight nodded and activated his shield. "I've never seen anything like it before, but it's fast and strong."

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Ruby proclaimed before shooting off on Crescent Rose toward the Leo.

"Wait, Ruby!" Yang said but it was too late.

"Hold your fire! You might hit her!" Jaune quickly ordered and everyone did as they were told.

Ruby was already closing in on the Grimm with her scythe held back ready to be swung. Unfortunately, the Leo had fast reflexes and managed to leap out of the way as Ruby tried to deliver a deadly blow with her weapon. The young girl slid to a halt and prepared for another strike but the Grimm acted first. The Leo raised a massive paw and sent a powerful swipe at the young huntress. She raised Crescent Rose to avoid getting sliced to ribbons but the sheer force behind the attack sent her tumbling away.

"Ruby!" Yang called out worriedly and began to run toward her sister. Jaune turned to his partner and she nodded as they both came to a decision. The two of them sprinted after Yang to provide support if the need ever arose.

Meanwhile, the young knight heard the flapping of massive wings as they ran to help Ruby. Jaune looked up just in time to spot the Nevermore beginning to swoop low. He turned his attention back on the ground. Ruby was on her feet again and was hastily making her way back to them with the Leo not too far behind her. The beast was gaining on her and the Nevermore in the sky was also closing in on them.

_Think Jaune, think!_

"Yang, Pyrrha, distract that Nevermore!" Jaune told the two girls as he picked up his pace.

"What about Ruby?" Yang demanded as the knight overtook her without a reply.

"Do as he says!" Pyrrha dropped onto one knee, shifted her weapon into a rifle and began to fire rounds at the Nevermore. Yang hesitated for a moment but then prepared Ember Celica. She decided to entrust Jaune with the task of looking after Ruby for now while she kept the giant bird from attacking the both of them.

The blonde knight charged ahead and adjusted his grip on the shield. Once Ruby was close enough, Jaune would make his move. Thanks to his partner and Yang, the Nevermore above them won't be able to interfere or assist the Leo below. All that was left was to somehow immobilize the beast long enough for them to regroup.

"Duck, Ruby!" Jaune shouted once she was ten feet away from him. The girl immediately complied and bent her head down while still running toward the blonde. The knight jumped, pivoting in mid-air, before hurling his shield at the Leo like a Frisbee, putting every ounce of strength he had into the throw.

The shield sailed through the air and smacked the Leo on the snout eliciting a snarl from the beast as it clattered to the ground a few feet away. The Grimm's eyes fell onto the knight as it prepared to resume its attack. It crouched down on all fours and lunged at the blonde knight.

Jaune quickly rolled out of the way and avoided getting mauled but unfortunately, he forgot about the beast's spear-like tail. The appendage whipped around and caught the boy with the sharp end. It painfully slammed into his right side and sent him rolling on the ground. Luckily his Aura prevented him from breaking any ribs but it still hurt like hell.

"Jaune!" Ruby called out in concern as she saw him go down. She unsheathed Crescent Rose into its scythe form and aimed a swipe for the creature's neck. The Leo sidestepped and assaulted the younger girl in earnest. She did her best trying to fend off the blows but she was clearly getting overwhelmed.

The young knight quickly ran through his options. His shield was too far away to retrieve and he could not afford to leave Ruby alone to defend against the Leo's blows. He needed to draw the Grimm's attention away from her long enough for her to recover from the rapid onslaught but the question was how? If only he had a long range weapon…

Just then, his eyes were suddenly drawn to the glinting metal of his sword. He wasn't quite sure if it was merely the reflection from high midday sun but to him, the sword was seemingly giving off a faint white ethereal glow. He also noticed the small blue gem on the cross-guard radiating a smidge of energy. Curiosity led him to try pumping some of his Aura into the weapon and to his surprise, the faint glow emanating from his sword flared brighter.

Jaune glanced up to see Ruby losing ground little by little as she was pushed back by the Leo. Acting on pure instinct alone, a small part of his brain questioned what on Remnant was he planning to do from so far away. The knight raised his sword and quickly brought it down in a diagonal slash. His eyes couldn't believe what happened next.

An arc of pure white energy shot from the sword and raced towards the unsuspecting Grimm. The Leo howled in pain as soon as the arc connected with its shoulder. A thin gash opened up on the beast's skin as a trickle of its blood ran down its side. Ruby merely stared wide-eyed as the events transpired right before her eyes. However, she quickly came to her senses and used the opening Jaune provided to vanish in a swirl of rose petals before reappearing next to the knight.

"That was amazing! How did you do that?" Ruby said with a bit of awe in her voice.

Jaune was just as bewildered as her. "I have no idea, but it looks effective at least."

Nonetheless, the young knight grinned as he adjusted his grip on Excalibur. He didn't know how to explain it but it felt like the sword had used his Aura to unleash a long ranged attack. That would explain the notable drain he felt at the moment but nothing too serious. Jaune had heard that most weapons used today were conduits for one's Aura but he'd never seen one use it to this degree. The sword had somehow tapped into him before releasing a pure wave of energy.

However, he had to consider the drawbacks. While effective, Jaune had yet to figure out how much Aura it consumed for it to be useful in combat. If he immediately used up all of his energy, then he would be vulnerable to injury. He would have to find out his limit while using this move but for now it would surely give them an edge over their current obstacle.

The Leo was bounding toward them now at dizzying speeds. Luckily for them, someone else decided to step in.

"Move you dolts!" They heard Weiss command. The heiress came zooming in out of nowhere and stabbed her rapier into the ground in front of them. As soon as the Leo would have been on them, a wave of ice erupted from the ground and trapped the creature's front paws in a thick layer of frost. Ruby grabbed Jaune by the wrist and used her Semblance to whisk them both back to the others at a ridiculous speed, leaving behind a trail of rose petals in the process.

After a brief rush, Jaune doubled over and heaved as the world seemed like it was spinning. Thankfully he didn't throw up this time and the nausea eventually faded. He was vaguely aware of conversations happening around him as he tried to get himself together.

"Do you ever think before you act?" Weiss reprimanded the younger girl. "You're so childish, and dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. I suppose that I can be a bit…difficult but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be…nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off." Ruby replied sincerely. "I just want you to know that I can do this."

"You're fine."

"Ruby!" Yang quickly came over and gave her sister a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked her somewhat green looking partner.

Jaune took a few deep breathes before replying. "Yeah, I'm good. Just warn me the next time you try something like that Ruby."

The girl simply rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Here, I think you dropped this." Pyrrha said and handed him back his shield.

"Thanks." Jaune accepted it gratefully but he did have to wonder how she was able to retrieve it.

Ren cleared his throat. "We should move. That Nevermore looks to be circling back and I don't think the ice will hold off the other Grimm for much longer."

True enough. The Leo was thrashing wildly to try escaping his current predicament. Small cracks were beginning to show and it would only be a matter of minutes before it broke free while the Nevermore was indeed making another turn in the sky.

Jaune then quickly selected the golden rook piece among the variety of relics while Ruby took the remaining knight piece.

The eight candidates then proceeded to make haste towards the cliffs with Jaune and Ruby in the lead. The group crested a small hill and immediately entered an area that was littered with ruins. The tree line ended behind them and was replaced by huge pillars on either side with huge chunks of debris scattered all around the ground. They spotted a huge structure up ahead that looked to be a giant tower connected by a small bridge.

The knight looked up to the sound of a loud caw of the avian Grimm. The Nevermore flew past them and perched itself on the damaged tower where it let loose a screech.

Behind them, the unmistakable noise of crashing trees was heard as the Leo burst through the forest and came bounding toward them. The situation was not looking good at the moment. They were initially hoping to avoid any more confrontations with Grimm but apparently these two were not too keen on letting their prey escape so easily. Now they had no choice but to slay these two monsters to complete their initiation.

Sensing a difficult battle ahead, Jaune thought that now would be a good time to use his Semblance.

* * *

Pyrrha hid behind a pillar beside her partner while the others did the same. The Nevermore would prove to be problematic since Dust bullets seemed to have little effect on it. She was contemplating on the best approach they should use to tackle the avian when the Leo had managed to free itself from the ice prison and was now quickly making its way toward them.

By a unanimous decision, everyone quickly made a dash toward the tower. The Nevermore had of course been waiting for them to do just that and swooped in preparing to launch a volley of its deadly feathers when it was halted by Nora who had begun firing her grenade launcher at the bird.

As they ran, Pyrrha heard Jaune mutter something beside her. As soon as he did so, his pace sped up immediately and he began to pull ahead of her. Strange, but she decided to ponder on it later as she turned back to see Ren and Blake trying to fend off the Leo. The two agile students were using their speed to their advantage by using the hit and run tactic. Unfortunately, the beast spotted the others closing the gap between themselves and the bridge.

The Leo instantly disregarded the two attackers and bounded ahead of them. In a massive leap, the Grimm managed to clear the distance between itself and the rest of them, cutting them off from using the bridge. Luckily, Yang, Ruby, and Weiss had already made it to the other side. However, the Nevermore quickly destroyed the structure by ramming it with its tough head. As a result, a huge gap now separated the three girls from the rest.

Pyrrha and the rest of them came to a halt just before the massive Grimm. It growled threateningly before lunging at them. The Spartan leaped out of the way in time but she was horrified to see that not all of them had.

"Jaune!"

The young blonde had been caught and was now trapped underneath one of the Leo's massive paws. Fortunately, the knight had wriggled his arms free and activated his shield just in time. He rammed the shield in between its gaping maw before it sank its teeth into him. The two fought for dominance but it was clear that the Grimm held the upper hand in terms of brute strength. Once more, Pyrrha heard Jaune grunt something and soon, he was having a considerably less of a hard time pushing the Leo back through strength.

She would not just stand by while her friend was in danger. Not wasting anytime, Pyrrha lunged into action. She transformed Milo into a spear and hurled it at the Grimm, giving it a boost with the recoil of the rifle. It impaled the creature through its left shoulder. The Leo roared in fury as the weapon sunk deep into it. This gave Jaune the opportunity to escape and the blonde quickly rolled out of the way as Ren began to rapidly fire his weapon at the Grimm so as not to give it time to recover.

Pyrrha held out her hand and used her Semblance to retrieve her weapon. Her spear flew toward her hand while Nora began to bombard the Leo.

"I owe you one partner." Jaune said as he stepped up next to her. He once again muttered something under his breath but this time Pyrrha felt slight rush of energy emanate from him.

"What did you just do?" She asked.

The blonde just winked at her. "You'll see."

They turned their attention back toward the battle. Blake had snuck up behind the Leo and was about to use her weapon when it's thrashing tail caught her in the chest and sent her tumbling over the edge. Luckily, she was able to use her weapon as a grappling hook and used the stable part of the bridge to swing herself up to the other side where Ruby and the rest were fighting the Nevermore.

Meanwhile, Nora had transformed her grenade launcher into a massive hammer and was using to bat away the beast's claws. Ren continued to pepper the Grimm with Dust bullets, occasionally using his blades for quick strikes before leaping away. The two worked pretty well together Pyrrha observed. Nora kept the beast focused on her while Ren would come in with quick strikes whenever he saw an opening. The girl's hammer was also nothing to sneeze at. For a small girl, she could wield her weapon pretty easily.

"I have a plan." She heard Jaune say and he quickly whispered it to her.

It sounded simple enough and if carried out properly, they would no doubt come out on top. Although there were some steps that she did not understand.

"I need you to distract it for a while." Jaune told her as he brandished his sword. "When I give the signal, the four of us will make our move."

He took a deep breath before he uttered a word. "Enhance!"

Pyrrha felt it again, the strange rush of energy that emanated off of her partner. She noticed that it was stronger this time and more noticeable. He grinned at her before taking off toward Ren. She would ask him about it later but for now, it was time to act.

The Spartan quickly joined Nora in fending off the lion Grimm. She used Milo in its javelin form for its extra reach. Pyrrha ducked and weaved whenever the smaller girl would swing her mighty hammer while she followed up with a quick thrust or jab with her spear.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jaune touch Ren on the shoulder, making the other boy jump in surprise. The raven-haired boy stared at the knight incredulously for a moment before the two of them rushed in to join the fray. Was it her imagination, or was Ren moving faster than before?

Ren unleashed a barrage of fast swipes with his blades while Jaune quickly made his way over to Nora.

"Hi Nora, hold still for a second." Jaune said and patted her on the shoulder.

The moment he did, the smaller girl went bug-eyed. "Whoa!"

Nora then gripped her hammer, charged ahead, and swung her weapon upward, catching the Leo on its side. What surprised Pyrrha was the fact that the hulking Grimm was lifted off the ground and crashed a few yards away from the edge of the cliff. Had Nora always been that strong? It seemed highly unlikely since she seemed to have been struggling before but now she delivered a powerful blow to the beast like it was child's play. It happened after Jaune…

"Okay Pyrrha, your turn." Jaune said as he touched her on the shoulder. "Don't hold back."

It was then that she felt it. A rush of energy flowed into her the moment her partner's hand made contact. It was like she had been injected with caffeine. She sensed that she now had a lot of pent up power that was waiting to be used. Not wanting to let this newfound rush of adrenaline go to waste, she immediately sprinted toward the Grimm.

Pyrrha was amazed by how fast her legs carried her. She had never run this quickly before. Whatever Jaune did to her, it must have been some kind of overall boost. She wanted to test if her strength had also increased by ramming her shield headfirst into the Leo. The power behind her blow managed to make the Grimm slide back a few more feet.

She followed up with a series of fast cuts and swipes before leaping before the Leo could retaliate. It was at the edge of the cliff now, just as Jaune had planned. All it needed was the final push.

"Stand back!" The knight called out as he held his sword with two hands. The weapon was bathed in pure white Aura and the blue gem in the middle was glowing rather brightly. Jaune swung the sword horizontally, releasing a wide arc of pure Aura that hit Leo full force. The wave of energy cut deeply into the Grimm's midsection while sending it flying over the edge. The echo of its agonizing roar could be heard as it fell to the depths.

As soon as the cries died down, Pyrrha saw her partner slump to his knees. She rushed over to check if he was alright. She was immediately joined by Ren and Nora. Jaune was covered in sweat and his breathe was slightly labored.

"I'm fine." Jaune assured them. "I'm just tired."

Pyrrha bit her lip couldn't resist asking. "Jaune, what did you do to us back there?"

The other two looked just as curious.

"That was my Semblance." Jaune answered. "See I can boost my abilities by the amount I have. So say that I'm as strong and fast as one guy. If I use my Semblance, I can acquire the strength and speed of two men. However if I use it again, then I would have the abilities of four men and so on. I can also pass on this boost to other people through contact. The effects are only temporary as you may have noticed and the only drawback I have is that it leaves me exhausted."

"That was so cool! I thought I could have skinned that Grimm with my bare hands!" Nora exclaimed cheerily.

Ren nodded. "I've never felt anything like it before. It was strange but exhilarating at the same time."

"Yes, in the end, you saved us Jaune." Pyrrha smiled at her partner as she helped him up to his feet and allowed him to lean on her for support. She didn't mind how close their faces were and she just hoped that her face wasn't as red as she felt.

The knight smiled bashfully at the comment. "I couldn't have done it without you guys. It was a group effort."

They all turned their attention to the battle taking place at the tower, which has also reached its conclusion. Ruby was now running vertically up the cliff face with the giant avian in tow. She reached the top and promptly decapitated the Nevermore while she landed in the midst of swirling rose petals.

Jaune whistled appreciatively. "I have to admit, that looked pretty damn awesome."

* * *

The ceremony had passed by before they even noticed it. Apparently, you were grouped according to which chess piece you picked up. However, Jaune was fortunate enough to be put on the same team as Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. Together they would be team Juniper or JNPR for short. He was a bit surprised though when Ozpin announced him to be the leader. He would have thought Pyrrha would be the one to lead them given her reputation and prowess. After all, the blonde had zero experience with leading people.

Next up was team Ruby or RWBY. It was no surprise there. From the look of things, they seemed to be a pretty solid team. The way they handled that Nevermore was impressive and they cooperated well with each other. Weiss did look a bit peeved when Ruby was named leader. Hopefully she won't hold it against the younger girl since it was the headmaster's decision.

Now that all of the commotion had died down and as soon as they were sent off to their rooms, the two teams decided to take a quick detour to the cafeteria.

"Remind me again why you dragged everyone along for this?" Jaune said as he inserted his Lien into the vending machine.

Yang smirked. "Because it would be rude not to invite our teammates after everything we've been through today."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "I think this is a big waste of time. I could be sleeping in a nice warm bed right now."

"Cheer up Weiss!" Ruby slung her arm over her partner's shoulder. "We can sleep later. Now we get to reap the rewards."

Jaune groaned. "No need to rub it in Ruby."

Pyrrha only smiled as she patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Ren came up to Jaune and whispered something in his ear before he pushed a button. After a moment of consideration, he had to agree with the other boy and quickly pressed another button.

The machine deposited their drinks and the beverages were distributed among the eight of them. Although, Nora pouted a little bit when she was handed a juice box instead while everyone had sodas. Jaune and Ren had come to the agreement that the girl would not be allowed anything caffeinated for a while.

Jaune popped open his can and raised it up. "Cheers to passing the initiation and becoming official students of Beacon."

Everyone raised their drinks, even the usual uptight Weiss and the stoic Blake cracked a small smile as they did so.

"Cheers!"

* * *

"Well, I was going to settle for a Boarbatusk to show the students tomorrow but I think you'll make a much more dashing good show!" Peter Port spoke as he tapped the cage that held a Grimm he had just captured.

He couldn't resist the thrill of a challenge when this peculiar Beowolf had crossed his line of sight when he was scouring the forest for a Grimm to present to his students. It had been a tricky task to capture him but in the end, Peter had once again triumphed. He had never seen this kind of Beowolf before. It was quite large for its kind and had accumulated more spikes and bone plating around itself.

The most unnerving thing about this particular Grimm however was the fact that it was completely still as it sat in its cage. Most of the Grimm he had captured before always thrashed about in its cage, demanding to be let out through constant snarls and growls. This particular Beowolf however, simply sat there calmly while they made their way back toward beacon. Its dark red eyes stared back at you and you couldn't help but feel as if it was…observing you.

Once they had reached one of the main entrances, Peter noticed the Grimm take a huge sniff of the surroundings.

After which, the odd thing was, Peter could have sworn that a sinister grin had made its way onto the wolf's face.

* * *

**Done whew, that took longer than expected but here it is. I gave Jaune a semblance that enhances his abilities since I think this version of him is determined to push himself beyond his limits and to become stronger (typical MC). I also gave him a means of attacking long range with Excalibur since I got some suggestions that he get a crossbow or something but it just doesn't feel right for him to have that so I gave him this. I hope you guys don't see him as OP here since I'm just laying the groundwork for his basic skills and whatnot. He's still pretty raw and will still get stronger gradually as the story goes. So yeah, as always tell me what you think and leave your reviews!**


	7. Wolf Among Sheep

**So a lot of you guys have mentioned that I got my inspiration for Jaune's semblance from Issei's Boosted Gear. All I have to say to that is…yeah it was. I tried a lot of powers and abilities to try and fit it into the story but none of it clicked until I tried the one from Highschool dxd. After that, I just sort of went with the flow and was satisfied with the outcome. (Disclaimer: You people know this already.)**

* * *

Jaune slept like a rock as soon as his head hit the pillow. Team JNPR arrived in their room that was located across the hall from Ruby's team and found all of their luggage and belongings had already been brought in. Due to the unanimous decision to unpack and sort out all of their stuff tomorrow morning, the four teammates quickly took turns using the bathroom before crashing onto their beds. Because of the exhausting day they just went through, the four students were out like a light.

Unfortunately for the blonde leader, the alarm he had set was already ringing and forced him to reach out to his nightstand and shut it off. The clock indicated that it was already half past seven. Jaune groaned as he rubbed his eyes and sat up on his bed. He had been experiencing such a good dream too if only he could remember what it was. He looked beside him to see his team still dozing off in their respective beds.

All things considered, he was really glad that the four of them had been placed on the same team. Admittedly, he would have preferred to be teamed up with Yang and Ruby at first but then he had met these three. The amount of teamwork the four of them displayed against the Leo was solid and effective. Maybe that was the reason why team JNPR was created. Although, why the headmaster chose Jaune to be the leader was beyond him. Whatever the case, he couldn't have asked for a better team.

Jaune stretched his arms and stood up before letting out a wide yawn. Classes would be starting up today and as much as he wanted to duck back into the covers himself, he had to get his teammates out of bed to prepare. Luckily, a very loud whistle that sounded from across the hall did the trick.

"Pancakes!" Nora blurted out as she woke up.

Pyrrha sat bolt upright, clearly alarmed by the sound.

Ren groaned and put his pillow above his head to block the sound and tried to go back to sleep.

Jaune couldn't help but snicker at the reactions of his teammates. "Good morning team! Ren you can't stay in bed the whole day, you know."

The raven-haired boy only mumbled in reply. "Watch me."

Nora giggled as she commenced bouncing on her bed. "He's always been like that. He just loves to sleep almost as much as I love pancakes!"

"Well, lessons are starting up today so I'm afraid you have to attend class Ren." Pyrrha supplied. "I'd hate to see my teammate make a bad impression on our first day."

An audible sigh escaped his lips as Ren conceded.

"Speaking of classes," Jaune tapped away on his scroll to check their schedule for today. "We have our first lesson of Grimm Studies with Professor Port at nine o'clock. If we get going we can still grab a quick breakfast before heading there."

"I'll go first!" Nora declared as the bubbly bomber launched herself off the bed, grabbed her uniform, and sped into the bathroom to get showered and changed.

"We might as well unpack while we take turns." Pyrrha suggested.

And so, the three members of JNPR quickly set about to unloading their luggage and placing them in their appropriate spot. They had a large walk in closet that could hold most of their clothes and other equipment. The room also had four desks with bookshelves lined above them. In addition, they each had a small nightstand that had several drawers for personal items next to their beds.

As soon as they finished unpacking and getting into their uniforms, the four teammates began to head toward the cafeteria. Nora was chattering away while the three teammates contentedly listened to the cheerful girl as she skipped along in front of them. Jaune couldn't help but wonder where on Remnant she found the energy to be this peppy in the morning. This girl must have eaten so much sugar that the effects of the usual rush afterwards never left.

Jaune wanted to know her secret because he could honestly use a pick me up himself.

Even though he had a good night's rest, he still felt dead tired and sore from yesterday. His body was still coping with the strain it experienced after using his Enhance Semblance. While it gave him an incredible boost during battles, the backlash from utilizing this skill was just as immense depending on how many times he used it. So far, he had discovered that his limit of using it was five boosts straight. If he exceeded that number, his muscles would begin to tear themselves apart and would utterly render him useless in a fight. Fortunately, he had only used four in the initiation which meant that he was only experiencing great fatigue at the moment. Hopefully a cup of coffee would get him through the day without falling asleep during the lectures.

He was so distracted by these thoughts that he bumped into another student in the hall.

"Watch it, punk!" A tall burly boy said as he shoved Jaune roughly out of the way. He didn't even spare the blonde a glance as he continued walking like nothing had happened.

Pyrrha frowned. "That was rude."

"No kidding." Jaune said as he watched the tall boy round the corner. "I guess you'll always find a jerk in every school you go to."

"Let's break his legs!" Nora suggested with a wild gleam in her eyes that kind of scared the blonde.

"We should get going if we still want to get breakfast." Ren said, also displeased by the behavior of the other student. "Our class starts in forty-five minutes."

The young Arc smiled to himself as they made their way to the dining hall. As far as he could remember, no one had ever stood up for him whenever he was confronted with a bully when he was younger. He had been the constant target for teasing and belittling during his time at school which made it difficult to approach someone he just wanted to talk to. However this did not mean that he had a purely miserable childhood. He still had his family after all, and they were always ready to cheer him up.

But still, it was natural for a family to be there for each other. To have someone who was not related to you in any way suggest breaking the legs of a person that was rude to you was a surreal experience. It might've been a little extreme but it was comforting to know that someone had your back if things got rough. This prompted him to glance at his teammates.

_So this is what it feels like to have friends…_

* * *

Weiss wanted to kick herself for loosing track of time so easily. Her team had been so busy decorating and unpacking that they would undoubtedly have been late if Ruby hadn't mentioned the fact that their first class began at nine. She would not allow her record of perfect attendance be tarnished on the first day. Now the four girls were sprinting through the grounds in the hope of getting to Professor Port's class in less than five minutes.

She caught a glimpse of the headmaster and Ms. Goodwitch as they were hastily running toward their first lesson. She noticed the blonde professor check her watch while Professor Ozpin looked slightly amused as he sipped on his coffee. Oh God, this was so embarrassing.

For the record, Weiss blamed Ruby for getting them into this mess.

Honestly, what had the headmaster been thinking when he assigned a fifteen year old girl to be their leader? While she did have some redeeming qualities, the girl was clearly unfit for the responsibilities expected of a person in charge. Weiss didn't want to come off as arrogant but in her opinion, she would have been a better choice to supervise team RWBY.

The facts were pure and simple. Yang was too emotional, Blake seemed rather quiet, and Ruby was just too young and inexperienced. Weiss on the other hand had been groomed into a diligent, respectful, and intellectual young woman all her life. She came from a well-known family and knew all there was to know about being in charge thanks to her status.

It was mind-boggling and she just couldn't grasp the headmaster's reasoning for choosing Ruby.

The small part of her mind, however, the one that was not overly clouded by envy, thought that Professor Ozpin did in fact know what he was doing. He was obviously no fool and he had been doing this for years. The headmaster must have seen some sort of potential in all of the students he chose and only he knew what that was. Another excellent example of this would be Jaune Arc, the current leader of team JNPR.

Weiss would be the first to admit that she had pegged him all wrong at first due to the little mishap on the airship. However, as the events played out, he did have this certain air about him that she found noteworthy. He had made an effort to apologize to her, even going as far as to ensure she didn't end up on the same team with someone she had a bad impression of at the time. He was also the one who caught her as she fell from the Nevermore. Plus, after hearing Nora's enthusiastic recounting of the battle they faced with the Leo, it was apparent that it was the blonde knight who coordinated with the others and became the key to their success.

Based on those facts, she couldn't deny that the handsome young blonde was a good choice for a leader.

_Wait, since when did I think of him as handsome?_

She quickly banished those thoughts from her mind as soon as they reached the classroom.

"We made it with one minute to spare." Yang grinned.

Weiss frowned at the blonde. "Well if the three of you weren't so adamant about making bunk beds, then maybe we could've gotten here sooner."

Yang only rolled her eyes at the heiress and the four of them promptly burst through the doors dramatically, no doubt making a scene. Everyone that was already seated in the room turned to look at them while Professor Port was already standing in front, ready to begin the lesson. They hurriedly made their way to an empty row at the front and sat down.

The instructor cleared his throat. "I must commend you four for arriving with less than one minute to spare but please do try to avoid making this a habit. Now let's begin."

* * *

"Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night," Professor Port stated dramatically. "Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names but I simply refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

This was only met with silence as everyone stared blankly back at the professor. Nonetheless, the man continued with his introduction to the subject of Grimm Studies as most of the students struggled to keep their attention from wandering elsewhere. Pyrrha had to admit that while she admired her instructor's enthusiasm, he seemed to enjoy rambling on even if he didn't realize the fact that almost everyone of his students weren't listening.

Even the redhead began to have trouble focusing on his words when Professor Port began to launch into a tale about himself as a young huntsman. She glanced around the room to find everyone in a similar state. Jaune had propped one of his elbows on his desk beside her and rested his head on his hand. He looked bored out of his mind and Pyrrha could see her partner's eyes start to drop. Nora was doodling on a piece of paper while humming to herself and even Ren had opted to just stare at the many diagrams of the Grimm written on the board.

Losing the battle of keeping her attention on the lesson, she soon succumbed to her thoughts as they drifted towards a certain blonde teammate of hers.

The young champion could not have been more elated when the announcement was made and team JNPR was formed the previous night. Not only would she be partnered up with Jaune for the rest of her stay at Beacon but it seemed like she had also made new friends during the trip to the vending machines afterward. She could tell that Nora, Ren, and team RWBY were the type of people she would like to spend time with and get to know better. All thanks to a ridiculous bet made by her partner.

Sneaking a glance at the boy who was striving to keep his eyes open beside her, Pyrrha could not deny that she had most likely already have developed her first crush. Why wouldn't she? Jaune was undeniably good looking in his own way and he also had the good qualities that make him likable. Of course there was no way she would tell anyone about her interest in her partner. She didn't want word of her crush getting to him and make things awkward between them. Instead she would work up the courage to tell him when she was ready but in the meantime, she would contentedly enjoy having him as a friend.

"So, who among you believe to be the embodiment of these traits?" Professor Port asked. The redhead was snapped out of her musings as she realized that the man had finished his story and was now speaking to the class.

A hand shot into the air and Weiss boldly stated. "I do, sir!"

For some reason, Pyrrha thought that the girl sounded a little more irritable than the norm.

"Well then, let's find out." Port said. "Grab your equipment while I prepare your opponent."

Weiss left the room to grab her weapons and change into much more suitable clothing for combat. The professor on the other hand grabbed his weapon, which looked like a musket with a double bladed axe, and moved to a huge crate looking object that was covered by a tarp near the side of the classroom. Pyrrha had wondered what was underneath the cover when they entered the room but apparently it would be revealed soon enough.

"Ooh, I wonder what kind of Grimm she'll be fighting." Nora said curiously.

Ren shrugged. "It must be something simple like a Beowolf or a Boarbatusk since I don't believe the professor would risk letting in anything that could endanger the students too greatly."

Jaune frowned as he stared at the covered crate. "You might be right but isn't that cage a little too big for those two kinds of Grimm?"

A few minutes later, Weiss returned in her usual white clothes and her rapier was already drawn. She stepped up to the front of the room and got into a combat position. Port then removed the cover and the students were greeted with the sight of a big metal cage that vaguely showed a creature inside it due to the small openings.

Pyrrha could hear the rest of team RWBY cheering for the heiress.

"Go Weiss!" Yang hollered out.

"Fight well!" Blake said waving a small flag.

"Yeah, represent team RWBY!" Their leader cheered.

The heiress scowled at her the younger girl. "Ruby, I'm trying to focus!"

The scythe wielder deflated at that. Meanwhile, Pyrrha noticed her partner tense up beside her.

"Jaune, what's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is it just my imagination or is that thing staring right at me?"

The redhead followed his line of sight and found him staring at the Grimm inside of the cage. She couldn't properly distinguish what type of creature it was but she saw the unmistakable red eyes peering through its prison in their direction or more specifically, her partner. A slight feeling of unease ran through her as she realized he was right.

"Alright, let the match begin!" Port declared as he sliced of the lock and the entire front of the cage fell away to reveal a large Beowolf inside. It looked different from the rest of its kind. The beast had a lot more prominent spikes and bone-like armor along its body. The creature slowly stepped out into the room and Pyrrha heard the heiress gasp once she saw it.

Then, all hell broke loose.

With remarkable speed, the wolf immediately turned to Professor Port and delivered a vicious swipe at the man that sent him crashing into the wall. Without missing a beat, the Grimm quickly turned to the heiress and lunged at her. Luckily, Weiss hopped out of the way in time but thanks to its size, the wolf managed to reach her with a powerful backhand and made her crash through the desks.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out in worry as the rest of their team quickly assisted their teammate.

At this point, the students had already started getting out of their seats and began running toward the exit. They may have been hunters in training but the fact remained that they were unarmed and unprepared for this sudden turn of events. Half of the students were already out the door while the rest hesitated for one reason or another.

Professor Port had recovered and charged at the creature. He gave a ferocious battle cry but that may have been his undoing. Without turning around, the wolf delivered a quick elbow jab to the professor's abdomen that sent him sprawling. Luckily, his Aura had prevented him from being impaled on the spike attached to the Grimm's elbow.

"Bring it you mutt!" Yang challenged as she got into a fighting stance. Pyrrha had to give the girl credit for bravery as she was willing to engage a Grimm while lacking any weapons.

However, the wolf didn't seem interested in the blonde brawler and instead focused on another person still in the room.

"Look out!" Ren cried out in warning as the large Beowolf lunged at them. Pyrrha felt herself get shoved to the side as the wolf landed on the spot where she and her partner had been standing. Her two other teammates stood protectively over her as she got back on her feet. Unfortunately, the Grimm seemed to be fixated on only one person.

Jaune rolled out of the way as a massive claw impaled itself on the ground where his head should have been. He scrambled to his feet and jumped back to avoid getting hit by the wolf's horizontal swipe. Thankfully, before it could attack again, a powerful blast of fire exploded onto the beast's side courtesy of Weiss.

The wolf snarled at the white-haired girl and this gave Jaune the opportunity to slip out the exit. The Beowolf noticed this and immediately pursued the young Arc. Once the two of them were out of sight, the remaining students which consisted of team RWBY and the three members of team JNPR quickly helped their slightly battered professor to get on his feet.

"We must assist young Arc immediately." His tone was dead serious. He quickly went to his desk and hit an intercom button before speaking into it. "Ozpin, we have a situation."

"I noticed. I already had Glynda sound the emergency alarm." The headmaster replied. Right on cue, a loud and urgent siren began to wail throughout the school. "I sent Oobleck to intercept the creature before it could reach Mr. Arc although, it would be prudent to send back-up as soon as possible. It would appear that Mr. Arc plans to lure it outside the main entrance. I would suggest that we make that the rendezvous point for a counter-attack."

"Understood," Port replied before turning to his remaining students. "Miss Schnee, since you are already equipped, I want you to find your classmate and protect him from the Grimm. The rest of you must head to your locker rooms, grab your weapons, and regroup with your friend outside the main entrance."

The seven students nodded and quickly rushed out the door to fulfill their orders. Weiss sprinted down the other way in the hopes of catching up with Jaune while the rest of them ran down to their lockers to retrieve their weapons.

"I hope Jaune's okay." Ruby said worriedly, although she wasn't the only one concerned about their friend.

Yang tried to ease everyone's nerves. "He'll be fine. He doesn't look like it but he's pretty tough."

"That's right." Pyrrha affirmed with certainty. "Also, there's another professor waiting to ambush the creature before it could reach him and Weiss will be with him."

Of course, she would have preferred to be the one at his side at the moment since she was his partner but she would only be able to offer little assistance without her weapons.

"What I want to know is that why it only went after him." Blake spoke up as they rounded a corner.

Pyrrha wished she had an answer for she too wanted to know the reason but she had time to ponder on it later. Right now, they had to save their friend.

* * *

_Seriously, when am I going to catch a break? Of all the students, it just had to come after me and it's not even lunchtime yet! _

These were the thoughts that were running through Jaune's head as soon as he ducked out of the classroom and sprinted down the hall while a ferocious Beowolf was hot on his heels. A few students that were in the hallways at the time immediately panicked as they scrambled out of the way. The good news was that the Grimm didn't seem to care about the defenseless students that they passed. The bad news, this particular Grimm only had its sights set on him.

He had noticed it as soon as Professor Port had removed the cover. Jaune was mildly surprised when he instantly locked eyes with the creature inside of the cage. It stared right back at him and the young Arc could swear that he could feel the hatred and rage coming off of it. All of which, was directed at him.

Thankfully, he was able to use this to his advantage by giving his friends the time to recover from their initial shock. The classroom was close to the locker rooms so they might be able to retrieve their weapons and save his ass before it was too late. However, they couldn't possibly fight it within the building. It would be difficult to maneuver inside these halls so the obvious course would be to lead it outside. Of course, he had to survive first.

He risked a glance behind him to see the monstrous form of the Beowolf slowly closing the gap between them. Just then, some kind of alarm started to blare and it was because of this that Jaune looked up and found a speaker on the wall above him. However, what interested him was the security camera that was placed next to it. Maybe he could get a message across somehow. He turned left at the next intersection and saw another camera mounted high on the wall.

"Main entrance!" Jaune shouted up at the lens and hoped someone had heard it. For now he had to keep moving and assume that his message was understood.

With each step, the young blonde realized that he had another problem. He was still suffering from the after-effects of his Semblance. His body was screaming in protest and his muscles burned with exertion. He was losing speed little by little and Jaune knew that if he tripped or made any sort of mistake, the Beowolf would instantly be upon him.

At that moment, a green and white blur suddenly shot past Jaune going in the opposite direction. The blonde heard a loud explosion behind him and felt an immense heat wave wash over the entire area. He slowed to a halt and looked behind him to see a man with wild green hair and spectacles fending off the Grimm with what looked like a flamethrower. A huge torrent of fire was being produced by the weapon and it kept the Beowolf from advancing any further.

"I must congratulate you for your efforts in leading this beast on a merry chase Mr. Arc." The man spoke so fast that he barely understood what he said. "I will hold off this Grimm for as long as I can and perhaps try to dispose of it myself but I must insist that you keep moving in case I am unsuccessful."

Jaune nodded and resumed sprinting down the hallway despite his aching legs and burning lungs. A loud howl echoed through the halls as he turned right and the sounds of a battle slowly faded behind him. With any luck, the man who Jaune assumed was another professor would be able to deal with the Grimm until more people came and assisted him.

_Never drop your guard, even for a moment._

His grandfather's voice floated around in his head as he recalled one of the many things that had been drilled into him. He should always assume the worst so that he could adjust accordingly to any situation. If that was the case then it was wiser to think that the Beowolf will somehow manage to get past the professor and continue pursuing him. He needed to be ready just in case.

Jaune took out his scroll and typed in code that would send his locker flying to the coordinates that he specified. He had made sure to take note of this particular function of his locker once he had been assigned one. No doubt that his locker was currently rocketing toward the front of the main entrance right this second.

Unfortunately, he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going as he was putting away his scroll back in his pocket and suddenly crashed into someone. The two of them fell to the floor and the blonde found himself face to face with Weiss.

"Uh, hi there," Jaune said the first thing that came to mind.

For some reason, her face was a surprising shade of pink. "Do you mind?"

He then realized the position they were in and the close proximity of their faces. He quickly pulled himself off the ground and helped her up.

"Sorry about that." He mumbled in apology.

The girl just huffed while crossing her arms. Her face was still slightly flushed. "Whatever. I was sent here to aid you and to make sure you don't get killed by the Grimm."

"Thanks," Jaune said as the two of them moved at a brisk pace down the hall. However, the blonde slowed to a halt as the exhaustion was beginning to make itself known. "Damn it."

"What is it?" Weiss frowned in confusion and just a hint of concern as she saw him slump to his knees and suck in ragged breaths.

"It's because of my Semblance." Jaune panted. "I used up a lot of it yesterday and I still haven't fully recovered from the effects."

"Can you at least walk?"

Jaune nodded determinedly. He unsteadily got back on his feet and took one step forward before stumbling. He would have fallen if Weiss hadn't caught him.

"Here, just take it slow." The girl said in a surprisingly soft tone and offered to support him. One arm was slung over her shoulder as she helped him relieve some of the weight his legs were forced to carry. The two of them made slow progress but they were still moving.

"I think I can do it myself now." Jaune said, trying to play off his fatigue. He hated feeling weak. Now he had to rely on her to help him walk. How lame was that?

Weiss scowled at him. "Liar, we don't have time for your bravado. Now just shut up and keep moving."

The blonde just stared at her for a moment. "You know you really like bossing people around, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just that whenever you talk, it sounds like I'm about to get a month's detention or something. It's actually pretty scary."

"Are you honestly comparing me to a principal right now?"

"Well you do like to scowl a lot…"

A sharp jolt of pain shot through his foot as Weiss stepped on it. "Ouch! Hey, you're supposed to be helping me here not injuring me some more."

"I swear Arc if you say one more word, I'll leave you here and let the Beowolf eat you."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh despite of the situation and although she hid it very well, he could see the start of a small smile threatening to make its way onto the girl's face. Who would have thought that there was a soft side to the usual strict exterior of the heiress? Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

The nice moment was ruined as soon as they heard something crashing behind them. The two of them shared a glance and they picked up their pace in spite of Jaune's incapability at present. The unmistakable sound of something huge was rapidly approaching them and it could only mean one thing.

Coming to a decision, Jaune muttered a word that Wiess managed to hear. "Enhance!"

A surge of newfound energy and strength shot through his body. He disentangled himself from the heiress, an action that surprised the girl, before taking off into a run once again. The white-haired girl followed beside him. The two of them could hear the wolf quickly nearing their position. He needed to make the most out of his last boost before it ran out and left him defenseless.

They turned left at the next corner and not long after that, the two students heard the distinct sound of the Beowolf not far behind them. They ran for a few feet before Jaune looked back to see the beast come into view down the hall. Weiss drew her rapier and created a complex pattern in the air. A glyph came into existence behind them and blocked the Grimm's path. However, it didn't last long before the beast raised both of its arms and slammed it onto the glyph that prevented him from advancing. The sheer force behind the blow destroyed the construct and swiftly resumed the pursuit.

Weiss repeated the process several times and created similar glyphs along the hall behind them. The blonde noticed her losing some of her speed as they ran but the Beowolf consecutively tore down the barriers she set up. While it did buy them a small amount of time, it would've been for nothing if Weiss slowed down now.

"Here," Jaune said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and transferred half of his enhanced energy into her. "Try constructing another glyph."

The girl's eyes widened as she felt an unfamiliar rush of energy flow into her. She decided to do as he said. Weiss created another glyph to halt the incoming Grimm and was surprised by how large it appeared. The wolf reached the barrier and hammered away at it but it held firm against the onslaught of blows.

She opened her mouth to ask him something but Jaune held up a hand to stop her. "I'll explain later. Let's get to the main entrance first before that shield breaks."

They weren't far from reaching their destination and the two of them eventually made it outside. As he expected, Jaune's locker had crashed into the ground near the fountain. He quickly ran toward it and retrieved his sword and shield. Because he shared half of his boost earlier, he was now only fighting at his normal strength. Once the energy from his Semblance faded, he would likely be too tired to move so he hoped that it would be enough.

Jaune took his place next to Weiss as the two of them faced the large doors of the school, knowing that what came next would definitely be something unpleasant. He adjusted his grip on his sword while rolling his shoulders as the heiress modified the type of dust in the chamber of her weapon. The two of them heard a commotion from within.

"Here it comes." Jaune said as he raised his shield in front of him.

True enough, the giant Beowolf lunged through the doors and began to charge toward them. Its hate-filled eyes locked onto his determined blue ones. But before it advanced any further, a red and black blur suddenly cut across in front of it as Ruby suddenly appeared and raked her scythe across the wolf's face, making it stumble. The red hooded girl slid to a stop as she yelled. "Do it Yang!"

Jaune looked to his right to see their two teams rushing toward them with their weapons held at the ready. Yang was standing on top of Nora's hammer and as soon as she heard her sister give the signal, the blonde's hair suddenly glowed as if it caught on fire and her eyes turned from lilac to red. Nora then swung her hammer while giving it an extra push with the recoil of firing off one of her grenades and launched Yang into the air, the brawler's fist cocked back.

Alas, she had been a second too late. The Grimm had already recovered from Ruby's surprise attack and saw the blonde falling rapidly toward it. The wolf leaped out of the way as Yang delivered a powerful punch that caused the ground to shake and the pavement to crack. The blonde brawler rose from the small crater she had created as her hair lost its glow and her eyes returned to their normal color.

_Damn, remind me not to get on her bad side._

The two teams quickly jumped in to engage the Beowolf.

Yang and Ruby charged in first. The two sisters working in great tandem with each other as Ruby tried to slash the wolf with her scythe while the other threw out some punches that had the force of a shotgun blast behind each one. To their credit, the Grimm slowly gave ground due to the unrelenting assault of the two girls. However, the tides instantly changed once it managed to catch Ruby's scythe in one of its claws and wrenched it from her. Maintaining a strong grip on her weapon, the girl also went flying as the wolf tossed the scythe aside.

Seeing this, Yang unleashed another series of strong punches and a few seemed to be doing a significant amount of damage but the Grimm retaliated quickly when an uppercut snapped its head upwards. Instead of being stunned, the Beowolf immediately brought down its head and used its hard shell to deliver a strong head-butt that made the girl stagger backward.

Blake and Ren began to fire their respective weapons at the Grimm as Pyrrha and Nora ran forward to engage the Grimm but it seemed that the beast was fed up with these annoyances. Disregarding the others, the Beowolf began to once again rush at the blonde knight despite the amount of Dust bullets that were hitting it.

Weiss created a glyph that was meant to act as barrier in front of the incoming Grimm, similar to the ones she erected during the chase. However, Jaune saw the wolf's eyes narrow as it laid its eyes on the glowing circle. Without slowing down, the beast ran at full throttle before leaping over the construct and descending toward the blonde boy with its fangs and claws outstretched.

The knight raised his shield just in time but the impact still jarred his arm as the beast made contact. He was forced to take a few steps back to give him room to move. Jaune retaliated by attempting an overhead strike with his sword but the Beowolf blocked it using its forearm that was covered in tough armor. However, Jaune felt the blade pierce through the exterior and sink into a bit of flesh. The wolf growled as drips of blood fell to the ground.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as the two of them stood at a standstill. The Hunter and the Grimm once again glared at one another. The hatred and rage was the most visible emotion in the creature's eyes as it loomed over him. Although he could never prove this, Jaune was certain that he saw something else as he stared up at the beast. Intelligent red eyes stared right back at him without hesitation.

The two of them had only been in that standstill for only a second before the Beowolf suddenly struck him in the chest with its free arm. The blonde tumbled to the ground as his sword clattered out of his hand. He managed to look up just as a shadow fell over him. The Grimm towered over him, claw raised and ready to deliver a death blow.

"Move aside children!" A voice called out. This was Jaune's only warning as he instinctively got into a crouched position while he raised his shield. An explosion suddenly went off in front of him and the blonde could hear the pained howl of the Grimm.

The young knight peered around his shield and spotted Professor Port and the green haired professor. The Grimm Studies professor held out his weapon and prepared to fire again.

The front doors then suddenly slammed open to reveal a calm yet serious looking Glynda Goodwitch brandishing her riding crop.

The Beowolf saw this and began to realize how outnumbered it was. It snarled at the new arrivals before giving the boy one last hateful glare.

_This isn't over._ It seemed to say before fleeing onto the grounds surrounding the school, no doubt heading back toward the forest. The three professors immediately gave chase, intent on slaying the Grimm before it could do any more damage.

Jaune slowly rose from his position and was suddenly tackled in a hug by a worried looking Ruby that appeared in a swirl of rose petals. It took him a moment to respond by returning it and patting the girl on the back. He smiled at her concern for his safety.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ruby said as she pulled away. By this time, the rest of their teammates had made their way toward them.

He was then pulled into a hug by Pyrrha. This time he was able to respond immediately and returned the tight embrace.

"Are you alright?" She whispered full of concern.

He nodded in response.

"Thank goodness." His partner said softly as she buried her face on his shoulder. It was understandable since her partner had been in real danger and yet she had to entrust his protection to someone else. Obviously she blamed herself for not being the one to come to his aide sooner. He tried to say reassuring words to make her feel better but he couldn't be sure if they were working.

It was at that point that Yang cleared her throat. "So when do the rest of us get a turn to hug Jaune?"

The busty blonde laughed as Pyrrha suddenly jumped away from her partner and adorned a huge blush. As everyone began to chuckle at the redhead's expense as she sputtered out incomprehensible words, the young knight began to feel lightheaded when the surge of adrenaline was beginning to fade, along with his enhanced energy boost from before. He stumbled forward and felt someone catch him just before he hit the ground. He could hear people calling his name but soon everything began to fade into darkness.

* * *

**And done! Whew another chapter bites the dust. I know that Jaune didn't do much in this chapter except run around the school with a Beowolf on his tail but I wanted to show that he's not always going to be the one to save the day and that his powerful Semblance comes at a cost. Also I think you guys can guess by now that a certain heiress will develop certain things for our young knight because I thought why not make it interesting? As always, you guys know what to do. Tell me what you think and leave a review because each one counts and it makes me feel better about this story. Till next time!**


	8. Confrontations

**Enough dilly-dally and onto the story! Again, I don't own RWBY. How many times to do I have to say it?**

* * *

Several holographic screens floated above the headmaster's desk, all of which replaying all of the recorded security footage concerning the events that had transpired hours ago. Professor Ozpin watched intently as the video showed the Beowolf being freed from its cage and causing havoc within Port's classroom. He took a sip from his ever present coffee mug that was half-filled with a steamy brew.

Ozpin hit the pause button just as the Grimm lunged over the desks in the direction of team JNPR. Of course, by this point, it was obvious who the target was. All of the other screens displayed the beast's pursuit of Mr. Arc throughout the halls. One of the screens showed him the battle that took place once the two students managed to lead it outside. The two teams had put up a good effort but in the end, the Grimm had fled as soon as it saw the teachers arrive onto the scene.

He turned his seat around and stared pensively out of the large windows of his office. The shattered moon was visible in the night sky.

The headmaster couldn't help but feel troubled after reviewing the events that occurred earlier today. In all his years at Beacon, he had never seen anything like this before. A Grimm had managed to surprise an experienced Hunter like Port and freely ran amuck through the school. Fortunately enough, none of the students had been harmed and the situation had been controlled just as soon as some of the more senior students arrived onto the scene.

However, what bothered Ozpin the most was the fact that the Beowolf had completely ignored everyone else and instead chased after Mr. Arc. The creature only stopped to engage anyone who posed as a hindrance in its pursuit of the boy. For example, the beast had only attacked Port and Miss Schnee due to the fact that they were the only two people who held any weapons at the time before switching to its primary target. Another instance that proved this was the way it disregarded all of the students that it passed in the hallways. Anyone else would have been easy prey but it still chose to pursue the young Arc despite this.

It seemed as if the wolf had a personal vendetta against the blonde student. If that was the case, then they were obviously dealing with something more dangerous than an average Grimm. This one in particular seemed to display a greater sense of self-preservation than most of its kind and also possessed a keen awareness of its surroundings. In any case, he would make sure that his fellow members of the teaching staff will practice caution when they decide to take the students out on expeditions in the forests. They would also have to keep an eye on a certain young man as well.

The elevator that led into his office beeped and opened to reveal Glynda, Bartholomew, and Peter. The three of them entered as Ozpin turned his chair around to face them. He tapped on a button and all of the holographic footage disappeared.

"Well?" he headmaster inquired.

Oobleck shook his head despondently. The usually energetic man was surprisingly calm. "We scoured the entire forest but we lost all traces of it once it exited the school grounds. We followed the trail as best as we could for a few meters before it went cold."

"What of the damages?" Ozpin turned to Glynda.

"I've already taken care of it and we should be ready to resume classes by tomorrow." The blonde woman said.

It was at then that Peter stepped forward and bowed his head. "I must apologize for being the cause of all of this. If I had acted sooner, then none of this would have happened."

"Don't be too hard on yourself my friend." Bartholomew said, patting the man on the shoulder. "None of us could have anticipated the Grimm's actions. However, I must say that I find it unsettling to see it focus solely on one person. It could be a deviant of some sort but this clearly makes it more dangerous."

"Indeed." Ozpin said. "That is why I want a routine search throughout the surrounding areas. A single Grimm may not pose a threat but I don't want to take any chances."

The three seasoned Huntsmen nodded in agreement before Peter spoke up again. "What is the condition of our young student if I may ask?"

Currently, the boy was resting in the medical bay while his friends patiently waited at his bedside. The nurse had informed him that he was only experiencing a severe case of fatigue due to the overuse of his Semblance. The medical staff told him that he should be able to resume classes by tomorrow as long as he doesn't overexert himself for the next couple of days.

"The doctors inform me that he only requires rest at the moment." Ozpin told them. "Clearly the use consecutive use of his Semblance had taken its toll on him. He should be able to attend his classes but I'm afraid he must skip this week's combat practice."

Glynda nodded and after exchanging a few more reports, the three teachers exited the office to get some rest, leaving the headmaster alone in his musings.

Ozpin was once again impressed by the boy's quick response to the situation. He immediately deduced that he himself was the Grimm's primary objective and used that to give them a small amount of time to recover from the unexpected incident. He also made good use of the facilities by giving them the location of where he planned to regroup.

Then again, he shouldn't be surprised by the boy's skills at this point. After all, given his lineage, the boy had apparently picked up a thing or two from his relatives. The boy's father is a renowned Huntsman and his mother had been a respectable Huntress before she retired at an early age. Not only that, but it would appear that he also received tutelage from a great warrior.

_He must be honored, _Ozpin thought. _Not everyone can say that they were trained by the legendary Jonah Arc, the Unyielding Knight himself._

* * *

"Well done Ms. Nikos." Professor Goodwitch congratulated as she walked onto the arena floor. "Top marks as always."

The young Spartan reached down and helped her opponent up onto her feet. "Good match."

"Whew, you really know how to kick ass." Yang said, dusting herself off. "I could have sworn I almost hit you with my last punch but you dodged it pretty easily and it almost felt as if my fist moved slightly out of the way."

Pyrrha adopted an innocent look. "I must have gotten lucky today."

"Right," Yang had a look that told her she wasn't buying her excuse. "Anyway, I'm definitely game for a rematch. I can't let you hog the top spot for too long."

The redhead smiled in good-nature. "I look forward to it."

The two girls then rejoined their teammates that sat on the bleachers that surrounded the arena which served as their classroom for Ms. Goodwitch's combat lessons. Yang took a seat next to her sister while Pyrrha claimed a spot next to her partner.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Jaune grinned at her. "It was pretty close but I knew you were going to win."

"Yeah, you were awesome!" Nora chimed in while Ren gave her a thumbs-up.

The girl expertly hid her blush at the praise. Receiving compliments from complete strangers was one thing but to hear her friends speak so highly of her was another thing entirely. The opinions of her friends held much more weight and meaning than the criticism of other people. Additionally, she knew that they meant every word of it and it gave her a warm feeling that she couldn't explain.

"Alright, the next match will be Jaune Arc versus Cardin Winchester." Ms. Goodwitch announced.

Jaune then got up from his spot and proceeded to make his way down to the dueling area with Cardin not too far behind. She remembered him as the boy who rudely shoved past her partner on the first day. She grew an instant dislike for the student as he seemed to be more of bully than anything else. He sported a huge mace that he hefted over his shoulder. The weapon was undoubtedly heavy but the tall boy carried around with ease. He also smirked as he eyed his opponent for today.

Three weeks had passed since the Beowolf incident and things quickly began to return to normal the following day. Jaune spent the whole day in the medical bay after he collapsed. The doctors assured them that he would be up and about the next day. Pyrrha and the others would have slept next to their unconscious friend that night had it not been for the nurses who ushered them out and reminded them of curfew. True to their word, her partner looked much better when he joined them for breakfast the following morning.

And so, they all began to fall into a routine of classes from that point onward. The most notable subjects in team JNPR's schedule consisted of Grimm Studies during Mondays and Wednesdays, History with Professor Oobleck on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Combat Practice with Professor Goodwitch on Wednesdays and Fridays. They were allowed to wear their usual attire as long as they had a session with the strict blonde woman on the same day otherwise they were expected to be in their uniforms.

"Go Jaune!" Ruby cheered.

"You got this fearless leader!" Nora yelled with her fists pumped into the air.

While the two girls were the most vocal about their opinions, the rest of the two teams were also in favor of the blonde. Not only because they were supporting of their friend but because his opponent was a jerk. The brute of a boy had been picking on weaker students and harassing some of the faunus simply because he enjoyed it. Pyrrha felt sickened whenever she saw someone trying to assert themselves as a superior to others through unsavory methods. She wanted nothing more than to teach Cardin and his lackeys a painful lesson but she knew that in doing so, she would only stoop to their level.

The two combatants had reached the arena and stood a good distance away from the other. Two monitors displayed their names, faces, and Aura levels. Cardin grunted as he hefted his mace onto the other shoulder while Jaune calmly drew his sword and activated his shield. Pyrrha couldn't' help but notice that something about her partner's stance seemed off for some reason. The way he held his weapons was…strange but she could not exactly figure out what it was.

"Begin!" Glynda signaled.

Cardin wasted no time in waiting and immediately rushed toward his opponent with his weapon raised. Jaune saw this coming and sidestepped the downward swing of the mace. However, he was caught unprepared for the sudden explosion that followed once the weapon made contact with the ground. The blonde boy staggered back and his Aura was slightly reduced because of it.

Jaune tried to retaliate with a quick jab to the boy's side but Cardin was able to block the attack with the handle of his weapon. Pyrrha had to hand it to the boy, despite the amount of weight his weapon possessed, his speed and reaction time wasn't greatly affected by it. In fact, Cardin didn't seem hindered at all which unfortunately put Jaune in a slight disadvantage.

Her leader ducked as his opponent nearly took his head off with a powerful swing. Jaune sent two quick upward slashes at Cardin's chest as an opening momentarily presented itself. The blonde had managed to inflict some damage which caused the larger boy's Aura to deplete a little.

Cardin scowled at this and sent a thrust kick aimed at Jaune's midsection. However, the young knight managed to raise his shield just in time. The force behind the blow made the blonde skid back a couple of feet and once again reduced Jaune's Aura.

"Is that all you got?" Cardin taunted as he once again stalked toward his opponent.

Jaune didn't bother to reply as he kept his shield up with his sword pointed at the mace wielder. He was mindful of the distance between the two of them and moved accordingly to make sure he was just outside of Cardin's reach. Whenever the boy took a step closer to him, he would take one step back and one step to the left.

"What's the matter? Fight me like a real man you coward!" Cardin jeered as he swung his mace to no avail as Jaune kept out of range. This continued for several minutes as Cardin would aim to catch her partner with the unforgiving side of his weapon. At times when his opponent struck the ground to catch him off balance, Jaune would hop away from the explosion before returning to the distance between them.

"Come on Jaune, you can do this!" Ruby cheered once again.

"Yeah, kick his ass Jaune!"

"Mind your language Ms. Xiao Long!" Professor Goodwitch scolded.

"Sorry." Yang mumbled but she didn't sound very apologetic.

Despite not being too greatly hindered by his weapon, Cardin was still just a person and someone who kept swinging something heavy would get tired eventually. Perhaps this was what Jaune had been hoping to accomplish as Pyrrha noticed the other boy's movements become slightly sluggish. Cardin once more swung his mace in frustration but the result ended up in a wide arc that left him open for just a moment but apparently it was the only thing her partner needed.

In two quick steps, Jaune immediately closed the distance between them and delivered a swift thrust to Cardin's abdomen before raising his shield again and retreating to a safe distance. The same thing occurred when the leader of team Cardinal tried to retaliate with another swing. This time Jaune delivered a clean underhand cut to the shoulder. This process continued until Cardin's Aura had dipped into the yellow.

Enraged by this, Cardin then gripped his weapon with both of his hands and released his pent up frustration into a brutal assault. In a surprising display of speed, the mace wielder rushed forward and slammed his mace into Jaune's shield. The resulting explosion sent the blonde knight flying for a couple of feet before tumbling into a halt. The direct hit caused his Aura to dip straight into the orange.

Luckily, Jaune managed to get into a crouch before Cardin was upon him again with his mace held high, ready to deliver another blow. However, with no other options available to him, her partner inadvertently raised his shield to absorb the brunt of the attack. This was a big mistake.

Pyrrha heard Jaune grunt in pain as the weapon made contact with his shield and sent him rolling a few feet away. His Aura had already fallen into the red which meant that Cardin had won the match. But one look from the other boy's face told her that he either wasn't aware of this yet or simply didn't care. The boy stalked toward her partner and planted a foot on his chest preventing him from getting back up.

By this point, she and her team had stood from their seats and were about to leap down onto the arena seeing as the other boy had no intention of stopping. Cardin raised his mace above his head but he froze at the sound of Miss Goodwitch's commanding voice.

"That is enough!" She said, glaring sternly at Cardin. "Mr. Winchester, you have clearly won the match and I see no need for you to continue fighting. I expect you to practice more self-control before you step into my class because I will not tolerate more aggressive behavior than necessary. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Cardin replied and reluctantly removed his boot from his opponent's chest. He spared Jaune one last look of contempt before making his way back to his seat.

"Well then, Cardin Winchester is the winner of this match." The professor announced. "He was able to overpower his opponent through sheer force and strength but Mr. Arc showed a good amount of resourcefulness against a stronger foe. Please keep in mind that you won't always be able to tackle your enemies head on and you should remain calm in dealing with pressing situations. Now that is all the time for today and I want to remind everyone that the Vytal festival is only a few months away which means that students from the other kingdoms will be arriving soon so keep practicing."

Students began to file out of the room while team RWBY and the rest of team JNPR walked over to where Jaune was getting up.

"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now and I have yet to see any real improvement from you." The two teams heard Goodwitch say. "You have a good head on your shoulders and I approve of your methods and strategies but you haven't won a single match since the start of classes. I do hope I will see a much better performance next week."

Pyrrha heard Jaune sigh as professor Goodwitch walked away.

"Don't worry Jaune, I think you did great!" Ruby told him, trying to sound upbeat.

"Yeah, you got him so worked up he couldn't even think straight." Yang added.

Blake gave her partner a strange look. "You do realize how that sounds out of context, right?"

"Maybe, but you're the only one who thought of it first Blake." Yang retorted before a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "I'm starting to think those smut novels you love so much is beginning to affect your thoughts. What was the series called again? Was it Ninjas of Love?"

The raven-haired girl glared at her partner. "We agreed never to speak of that outside of the dorm room."

Everyone got a good laugh out of the banter between the two as they began to head toward the cafeteria for lunch. There was nothing that worked up an appetite like a good sparring session. They all chattered about one thing or another, the topics ranging from schoolwork to the upcoming festival.

The two teams had grown rather close since the start of classes. They all shared similar time schedules and were often seen eating together at one table. Pyrrha had never imagined herself to be part of a tight knit group of individuals who each had their own quirks and likable traits. Yang, Nora, and Ruby were always lively and could get the conversations started while Ren, Blake, Weiss, and she were a bit more reserved. Jaune was something in the middle. Sometimes he would instigate the silliest debates with the others, crack jokes that got the whole table laughing, and just be a plain goofball most of the time. Other times, he would just contentedly listen to the others talking and would give his input every now again.

Pyrrha could see him hanging back a little from the group and she could faintly make out the small frown on his face. She decided to match his pace so that they could walk side by side.

"Lien for your thoughts?" Pyrrha inquired with a small smile.

Jaune shook his head. "I'm just thinking about what Goodwitch said and the fact that I lost isn't exactly helping my mood either."

The redhead racked her brain for something to say. She hated seeing him look so glum. He always adopted the same look of disappointment on his face every time they finished Combat Practice because of his losing streak. It probably didn't help that Pyrrha was ranked number one due to being undefeated so far with the rest of their friends not too far behind. Jaune on the other hand was three ranks above the lowest person in a class of forty students.

The blonde's inability to win a single match bothered her greatly. Even without the use of his Semblance, Jaune should have still been able to rack up a few victories. He displayed a great amount of skill during the initiation and the Beowolf incident plus his swordplay was always expertly executed. But for some reason or another, his strikes and blows were a bit sloppy and stiff whenever he stepped into the arena.

"Well I wouldn't dwell on it too much." Pyrrha advised. "She obviously wanted to give you meaningful criticism so that you could learn from your mistakes and get better."

Jaune nodded absently. "Yeah, I guess…"

"A-And if you want, when we have some free time, we could, um maybe practice together." Pyrrha said nervously. "I could help you out with anything you might have trouble with and maybe give a few pointers that might be useful."

She cursed herself for sounding so anxious. It wasn't like she was asking him out on a date or anything, but her treacherous mind played out an image with just the two of them laughing and having a good time in each other's company. Her brain began to run a mile per minute as dozens of thoughts bounced around in her head.

_Oh no, did it sound like I was asking him out? What if he thought I was and refused? But what if he said yes? I would probably…no, get a grip Pyrrha. Calm down. I just want to spar with him and help him get better at fighting. Yes, that's right. Two people just having a friendly match…alone…with nobody else….just her and the boy she had a crush on… Stop! Oh wait he's looking at me and telling me something._

"Hello, Pyrrha?" Jaune said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Yes?" She said, snapping back to reality.

"You kind of spaced out there for a sec." Jaune told her. "As I was saying before I lost you for a minute, it sounds like a good idea. Just give me the time and place and I'll be there."

"That's great!" She had said that a bit more cheerfully than she intended to. "I'll let you know when I find a good area to spar."

He gave her a warm smile that made her heart start doing little tap dances. "Alright then, you got yourself a sparring partner."

* * *

Jaune dug into his triple layer sandwich as he listened to Nora's tale.

"So, there we were in the middle of the night." She said dramatically.

"It was day." Ren interjected but his partner continued unhindered.

"We were surrounded by Ursai." Nora said in her best storyteller voice which had Yang totally engrossed in the story.

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!" Nora slammed both hands on the table before abruptly standing from her seat for effect.

Jaune snickered as Ren sighed. "Two of them,"

"But they were no match, and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boat load of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs."

Nora then sat back down with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile on her face.

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren told them as he balanced a mug on his palm.

"But you have to admit that it never gets old no matter how many times you hear it." Jaune said, taking another bite out of his sandwich and giving Nora a thumbs-up.

"What on Remnant have you been putting in your sandwich?" Weiss scrunched up her nose in distaste as she glanced at the sloppy mess in his hands.

He held it up to her and began to list of the ingredients. "Let's see, we have ham, bacon, bologna, chicken, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, some mustard, and—,"

"Forget I asked." Weiss said before she resumed filing her nails.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." Jaune said, taking a rather large bite out of his lunch and making loud chewing noises. He took a sliver of satisfaction from seeing her make a disgusted face. It was always fun to get a reaction out of their resident heiress. It even almost made him forget about his loss he suffered earlier. The key word was almost.

It was then that the group heard a small commotion a few tables away from them. They all turned to see Cardin and his gang picking on another Faunus. It was a girl with long brown hair and rabbit ears on her head. The leader of team Cardinal was roughly pulling on one of her animal appendage while his teammates laughed.

"I told you they were real." Cardin told one of his teammates.

"Ow, that hurts!" The bunny girl exclaimed. "Please stop."

Jaune's hands balled tightly into fists when he saw this. He also noticed Blake narrow her eyes at the scene and looked like she was about to rip the book she was holding into two. Everyone else from their table scowled at Cardin's group of bullies.

"Atrocious, I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha hissed out.

"He's not the only one." Blake said as they noticed other students snickering and pointing at the girl as they watched.

"It must be tough being a Faunus." Yang said sadly.

"Jaune, where are you going?" Ruby called out as the blonde got up from the table and approached team CRDL.

They didn't seem to notice him as they were too busy making fun of the Faunus. He stopped right in front of the group and only then did Cardin take note of his presence.

"What do you want Jauney boy?" The burly boy demanded with a sneer. "Didn't I just put you in your place just thirty minutes ago?"

His teammates chuckled at the remark but Jaune was unfazed by the insult.

"You know Cardin, you could tell a lot about a guy based on his weapon." Jaune remarked casually. "The question is why does a guy like you choose to carry around such a huge mace? I mean it seems to me like you're overcompensating for something if you catch my drift."

At this point, the cafeteria had descended into a stony silence. Everyone had begun to notice the blonde boy staring down at the seated Cardin. The rabbit girl stared at Jaune with wide-eyed awe as she was now completely forgotten while her tormentor had found another target. She caught the blonde boy signaling her with his eyes to slip away while she had the chance. Not wasting any time, she complied by talking small but hurried steps away from the five boys.

In all honesty, Jaune had no idea what possessed him to come to the girl's defense. He could have just pretended that nothing was happening and continued eating lunch with his friends until it was time for the next class. He had done it before when he attended school back in his hometown. Whenever the bullies decided to pick on someone else besides him for a change, he would immediately ignore it and walk a little faster before they could set their sights on him. However, the guilt and shame never failed to make themselves known afterward and it was when he was alone that the tears started to fall.

_I'm not that kid anymore. I refuse to just sit and watch any longer._

_Yeah, that's great and all but now you're going to get socked in the face._ The logical side of Jaune's mind spoke up.

Cardin rose from his seat and glared down at him as he squared his shoulders.

"Care to repeat that, Jauney boy?" The taller student's voice sounded calm but Jaune could sense the boiling anger underneath it.

Not missing a beat, Jaune replied. "What are you deaf too? Or are you just embarrassed about your _little _problem?"

The students that heard him gasped and Jaune could see Cardin's fists shaking at his sides. It was only a matter of time before he threw the first punch. The rest of team CRDL began to take up positions on either side of their leader. The two students stared each other down as the cafeteria merely watched in anticipation.

Screw it. He got this far. He might as well go all the way.

"I think the doctors can take a look at it. But even if they manage to fix that for you there's still no cure for being an asshole."

That was the final straw for Cardin. "You're dead!"

He raised his fist but his punch swung wild and missed Jaune completely. Instead, it hit Sky on the nose and the boy stumbled back, clutching his face. Cardin scowled in confusion as his other two teammates backed away from him else they end up like their comrade.

Jaune glanced back over to where his friends were seated to find them all standing up from their table, ready to jump in at any moment. Yang cracked her knuckles and Nora was rotating her arm with a maniacal look in her eyes. He also noticed the dark glow emanating from his partners hand before it disappeared. He made eye contact with Pyrrha and she winked at him in response.

The young knight grinned as he realized that his attacker must have been wearing a watch that his partner could manipulate with her Semblance.

"Jaune look out!" Ruby cried out in warning just as Cardin rushed at him and threw another punch, only this time with his other hand. Jaune managed to sidestep the attack and stuck his foot out to trip the boy. The bully stumbled and eventually tripped. His face landed on a plate that had a slice of half eaten chocolate cake on it.

Cardin slowly rose to his feet and turned around to face the punk who had the nerve to insult him. Jaune would have been intimidated by the fierce glare the mace wielder was giving him but it was hard to pull it off when your face was smeared with chocolate icing all over. The other students burst into a fit of snickers and laughs when they saw it, with teams JNPR and RWBY being the loudest.

Just as Cardin was raising his fist, a loud voice cut through the din of laughter. "What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to see Professor Oobleck observing the scene with his arms crossed. Jaune spotted the Faunus girl standing a few paces behind him and figured she must have called him. The rest of the students immediately returned to their meal and previous conversations like nothing had happened. He shouldn't have been surprised.

"Care to explain, Mr. Winchester?" The eccentric History teacher inquired.

The larger boy adopted a false innocent smile as he tried wiping off the icing with his sleeves. "Oh, it's nothing Professor. I'm just roughhousing with my buddy Jaune. We just like playing jokes on each other, don't we pal?"

Professor Oobleck's head swiveled to face the other boy. "Is this true Mr. Arc? Because I was informed of a possible confrontation occurring in the cafeteria and it looks to me like you two are the ones who are instigating it."

"He's right Professor, clearly it must have looked like something was happening but we do this all the time, right Cardin?" Jaune said, to which the other boy just nodded with a painfully fake smile.

The green haired Professor scrutinized the both of them for a moment. "Very well, I will take your word for it. However, if I ever catch wind of another incident like this then the two of you will be in for a lot of trouble, are we clear?"

"Yes sir." The two boys said in unison.

The man briskly began walking toward the exit and Jaune let out a small relieved sigh. That was close. He wasn't entirely sure if he was willing to risk a month's detention or something just to make sure Cardin gets what he deserves.

"You better watch your back, Arc." Cardin growled threateningly before he walked away.

Just then, Jaune felt something crash into him from behind. He turned his head to find Nora suddenly hugging his neck while forcing him to give her a piggyback ride. "Way to go fearless leader! You showed him who was boss!"

"Nora! I need air!" Jaune choked out as his teammate nearly strangled him.

"Whoops, sorry!"

Jaune sucked in a huge amount of oxygen just as he was swarmed by his friends. Yang gave him a high five and Ruby was talking animatedly about how funny it was when Cardin got smeared with chocolate cake. Ren gave him an approving nod and a quick "Nicely done." The most noticeable reaction, however, came from an unexpected source. Blake was giving him a rare fond smile that seemed to convey gratitude for some reason. He didn't have time to ponder on this because he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

He turned around and found himself face to face with the rabbit girl standing there nervously.

"Thank you for what you did back there." She said after a brief moment of hesitation. She had a faint accent. "Not a lot of people would have done it."

"Well, those people are idiots." Jaune replied with a grin. "My name's Jaune."

"I'm Velvet Scarlatina." The girl introduced herself with a small smile of her own. "It's nice to meet you Jaune. I want you to know that if there's any way I could return the favor, don't hesitate to ask."

"Sure thing." Jaune said before Velvet bid them goodbye and began to head out of the mess hall.

The blonde then felt Yang give him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Nice going Prince Charming, you managed to save the damsel in distress."

"I had help." Jaune smiled at his partner, to which the girl responded with her own. "And FYI, I'm always charming."

He heard Weiss scoff at the statement. "Don't get such a big head Arc."

"I think it's already too late for that." Ren said.

Jaune pretended to look hurt. "Not cool, dude!"

The two teams shared a good laugh before deciding to head to their next class. The eight students were unaware of the vengeful eyes that followed them out of the cafeteria. The owner had every intention to wipe their silly smiles off their faces, starting with Arc.

* * *

**And that's the chapter. I know that it's shorter compared to the previous ones but I think I did the best that I could. I felt that it might have been a little rushed but I tried my best to set the stage before things really get interesting. I'm finally getting close to the parts that I really want to write about so stay tuned for more. Also, if you guys are confused about why Jaune keeps losing during his fights, it will be explained in the next chapter. Trust me there is a reason for his low ranking for now. Leave your reviews and as always tell me what you guys think.**


	9. Stolen

**Me again! Without further ado, I present the next chapter. *cough* RWBY*cough* not mine *cough* you get the rest.**

* * *

"Come on man, hurry up." Cardin told his teammate as Russel was crouched in front of a locker, furiously tapping on his scroll.

"If you could shut up for a moment then maybe I could concentrate better!" Russel snapped at him. "This isn't as easy as it looks, you know. Hacking into the school's security system was difficult enough but these lockers are just as well protected."

"How long will it take?"

Russel sighed in frustration at his leader's impatience. "At least a couple of more minutes, alright? Go bother Sky or Dove and leave me alone to work in peace."

"Fine," Cardin said as he left his teammate to his devices.

Russel continued working on the lockers in order to get them open. He learned a thing or two about software from his dad, who was a pretty good Systems Developer. Russel had managed to access the school's security camera's using his personal scroll that had multiple programs that each had a variety of uses. He had put the cameras on some sort of loop using one of his programs. That way, it would look just like an empty locker room to anyone who was watching.

Sky and Dove were positioned as lookouts by the entrance. They couldn't afford to be careless. A teacher or a member of the staff might suddenly walk in on them and they would be caught for sure. If it ever came to that, they could immediately duck into their respective lockers to avoid being seen. Due to his many experiences of shoving people into lockers, Cardin knew that they could fit.

The hacker saw his leader lean against a wall and cross his arms as he waited.

Russel shook his head as he thought about the reason for their current nightly activity.

Three days had passed since Cardin's little spectacle in the cafeteria with that Arc guy. Needless to say, his leader had been furious about getting humiliated in front of everyone. Russel could understand the desire for a little payback every now and again but he was starting to question the lengths he and his team were going just to deliver it. After Cardin had calmed down somewhat, a plan began to hatch in his mind and he didn't hesitate to drag the rest of them into the process.

Russel was a bit reluctant to go along with his leader's idea since the risk of getting caught would probably be expulsion or something. However, his sense of loyalty to his team seemed to override any other thoughts on the matter. Like it or not, the four of them were stuck with each other for the next four years and he had actually grown fond of them. All for one and one for all he guessed. Besides, they wouldn't even have made it this far without his help.

A loading screen appeared on his scroll as his program had finally manage to synchronize with the locker's security software and now it was only a matter of a few minutes before he would have access to any locker he chose. Russel set his scroll down next to him and got into a more comfortable position to wait.

From the entrance, he could hear his two teammates playing Eye Spy to pass the time. Seriously, what were they, eight years old?

A ping sounded from his scroll and he checked to see that the program was finished loading. He tapped on a button and pointed the device in front of him. The locker gave off a satisfying beep before it opened.

"Hey guys, I'm done!" Russel signaled his companions in a hushed tone.

His teammates then made their way over to him as Russel pulled the door open to reveal a pair of yellow gauntlets.

"Good job, man." Cardin said appraisingly. "Sky, grab it and move to the next one."

Their teammate shook his head vigorously. "No way, dude. Have you seen that blonde chick get mad? She punched a guy straight through a wall because he accidentally cut off a small piece of her hair while sparring! I don't even want to know what she might do if she finds out I took her gauntlets."

"Hate to break it to you buddy but that girl will be the least of our concerns if ever we get caught." Dove told him.

"Relax guys. They won't find out because we'll return them straight after we use them." Cardin said as he grabbed the gauntlets and stuffed them in a bag. "All we need to do is use these things as bait for Arc. I know that little punk won't be able to resist playing the hero and once he sees his teammates feeling depressed over their weapons, he'll look for them himself. It's just too bad that there's going to be a nasty surprise waiting for him when that happens."

The three teammates shared a look between themselves.

"Wow dude, that's pretty diabolical." Dove said apprehensively and Sky nodded in agreement.

Cardin scowled at him. "Just get the rest of their weapons."

And so, they quickly set to work in taking the rest of team RWBY and JNPR's equipment from the remaining lockers. Russel couldn't help but glance over at his leader. There was a vengeful gleam in his eyes and the hacker didn't like it. He just hoped that Cardin wouldn't go too far just to get even with Arc. Sure, Russel had to admit that he was a bit jealous of the guy considering the fact that he was constantly surrounded by gorgeous babes but did he really deserve what Cardin had in store for him?

He shook off those thoughts for the time being and focused on the task at hand.

"This is the last one." Sky told them as Russel unlocked the storage contraption with a tap from his scroll. Inside was a sword resting in a retractable sheath that could turn into a shield. "Let's grab it and get the hell out of here."

Russel tucked away his scroll and wrapped his hand around the handle. However, he was greatly surprised when the sword didn't even budge once he attempted to pull it out. He tried putting more effort into lifting the weapon from the locker but to no avail.

"What the hell?" He muttered before wrapping both hands around the handle and pulled with all of his might but still, the sword remained in place.

"Dude, stop messing around and just take it out." Sky said, a bit annoyed at his teammate.

Russel panted as he stopped struggling and let go of the weapon. "I can't move it."

"Not funny man. Just get it and let's go."

"You're welcome to try." Russel invited and gestured at the sword.

Sighing in irritation, Sky grabbed the weapon and yanked it as hard as he could but to his great shock, the sword stayed firmly in place. He tried planting his foot on the back of the locker and used both of his hands seeking to pull it free. He grunted in exertion before he finally gave up and stumbled backward.

"Damn, what is that thing made of?" Sky said, slightly out of breath.

"Still think I'm screwing around?"

"What are you guys doing back here?" Cardin asked as he and Dove approached them. "Just get the punk's sword already and go."

"Apparently, the thing's made out of hundred pound steel. We can't move it an inch." Russel said.

Their leader pushed past them and gripped the weapon with two hands. As expected, Cardin growled in frustration as the sword refused to be displaced despite the amount of exertion he was giving. Dove came over to assist their leader and yielded the same results. Russle and Sky decided to give it one more try. The four of them pulled with all of their might and yet, their efforts were futile.

After a few minutes of struggling, they all gave up and just stared incredulously at the sword that, for some reason, couldn't be shifted from its position by four people but could be easily wielded by one. Either Arc was hell of a lot stronger than he looked or he had some sort of secret to carry the sword.

"Forget this!" Cardin said angrily. "It doesn't change anything. We got the rest of their stuff. Come on."

With that, he slammed the door to Jaune's locker shut and led the way back to their dorm.

* * *

Pyrrha wiped the sweat off her forehead with a fresh towel as she steadily caught her breath. "I think we made good time today."

"We beat our previous record by five seconds." Jaune agreed while he checked his scroll.

"Whew, I feel great!" Nora chirped, stretching her arms above her head.

Ren nodded and took a sip from a water bottle. "There's nothing like a quick morning exercise to start the day."

Currently, team JNPR had just finished their early jog around the campus and was in the process of cooling down. It had been Jaune's idea for them to pick up this routine after they saw him return to the dorm one morning covered in sweat. He told them that he had been out for a run and after a small discussion, the rest of the team thought it was a good way to stay in shape and eventually started joining him.

Pyrrha passed her partner a water bottle and he accepted it gratefully before chugging down most of its contents. She also grabbed a bottle for herself and felt the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. Beside her, Nora was happily munching on an energy bar while Ren merely sat in silence, enjoying the quiet and serene atmosphere. The four of them were seated on one of the benches laid out in front of a fountain while the sun was halfway above the horizon. Most of the students were still asleep but they could already spot a couple of early risers wandering around the campus.

The young Spartan discreetly glanced at her leader and had to resist the urge to blush. Jaune was dressed in his usual workout attire, a black tank top and blue sweatpants, that left his well toned body on display. He had a lean yet muscular build that suited him and she had to fight really hard to keep her teenage hormones in check whenever they went out for runs. The only thing that irked her was that she caught other females ogling her partner whenever they would jog past them.

Shaking aside the thoughts concerning those irritating girls, Pyrrha decided to take satisfaction from the fact that she was the one sitting close to Jaune at the moment. Of course, he was still unaware of her growing affection for him and she wanted to keep it that way until she deemed necessary. However, there was nothing wrong with dropping a few hints.

In a bold move, she carefully rested her head on his shoulder and leaned into him slightly. Jaune raised both of his eyebrows at the action.

"I'm a bit tired. You don't mind if we stay like this for a while, do you?" Pyrrha inquired a bit shyly.

"Not at all." Jaune told her and he adjusted himself a little so that she could be more comfortable. She didn't know whether to be happy that he agreed so easily or annoyed by his obliviousness. Nonetheless, the redhead mentally cheered for the small victory and merely enjoyed the contact. She could only hope that she could blame her pink dusted cheeks on the sunrise.

All in all, it was a peaceful morning…

…Until they heard someone screaming so loud that it almost shattered windows.

The four students quickly jumped to their feet and wordlessly dashed inside to locate the source of the disturbance. The voice was familiar and it made them hasten their pace. The team ran through the corridors and found themselves in the locker rooms. What they saw was a frantic and worried looking Ruby shoving her head into her storage unit and appeared to be looking for something.

"What's wrong Ruby?" Jaune asked, approaching the troubled girl.

"Everything's wrong!" The girl exclaimed hysterically. "Crescent Rose is gone! I know I left her right here!"

"Your scythe is a girl?"

Ruby glared at him.

"Sorry, forget I asked." Jaune mumbled.

Pyrrha glanced inside her friend's locker and true enough, it was empty aside from a few spare magazines of Dust ammunition. "Are you sure that you didn't take your weapon to the forges for a maintenance check?"

Ruby was starting to fidget with her hands and bounce a little bit in restlessness. "Yes, I'm sure. I cleaned her last night just before I went to bed and I came here to grab her before getting breakfast but now my precious sweetheart is missing!"

The sound of fast approaching footsteps reached them before the remaining members of team RWBY burst into the room trying to locate the source of distress.

"What in the world is going on?" Weiss demanded as her eyes landed on the only occupants in the room.

"Are you okay sis?" Yang asked in concern, noticing her sister's agitation.

"No! I am certainly not okay!" The girl exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. "My sweetheart is gone!"

Blake, ever the calm and collected member of their team, tried to appease her. Weiss just sat next to her partner and awkwardly patted her shoulder while the raven-haired girl asked where their leader last saw her weapon. The Schnee heiress had started to warm up to her leader after the little spat the two of them had a few days after the Beowolf attack. Yang, being the older sister, attempted to cheer her up in her own way. Pyrrha and the others just stood close to them, offering their silent support for the distraught girl. They all knew how fond Ruby was of weapons, especially her own.

Just then, Jaune stepped away from the group and approached the empty locker. Pyrrha stepped next to her partner and saw that he was studying the contraption intently.

"That's strange." Jaune murmured, frowning.

"What's strange?" Pyrrha asked.

The young knight turned to face her. "We all know how much Ruby loves her weapon and I've even caught her polishing it four times every week. It's not like her to just suddenly misplace it."

"Some things can slip our minds from time to time." Pyrrha said. "It's not uncommon."

"That's true, but would you ever forget about where you place Milo and Akouo?"

"Of course not," The redhead answered.

"Exactly," Jaune said. "We each take excellent care of our weapons and it's not like they just…"

His eyes widened as something dawned on him. He suddenly turned to face the rest of their friends with a scowl on his face. "Everyone, check your lockers."

"What? Why?" Yang asked, confused.

"Just do it."

All of them shared a small look of uncertainty before separating to find their respective pods. They entered their codes and opened the containers. Needless to say, they were not happy to find out what was inside or more specifically, what was not inside.

"Son of a bitch!" Yang swore as she slammed her locker shut, a hint of red flashing in her eyes.

"Where's my hammer?!" Nora exclaimed.

Ren shut the door to his locker with a scowl on his face.

"This is unacceptable! Whoever took my rapier will wish they were never born when I'm through with them!"

"Get in line." Blake told the seething heiress with her own angry frown.

Pyrrha could empathize with their reactions because her own equipment was missing as well. She clenched her fists and tried to calm her bubbling anger by taking deep breaths. Whoever was behind this should better have a good explanation to save themselves from the group of very pissed of huntresses in training.

* * *

Weiss had been making her way to the cafeteria with Yang and Blake when they heard the sudden cry of distress. The three of them shared a worried look as they recognized the voice of their final teammate and wordlessly took off running to find Ruby. The three girls found themselves busting into the locker rooms with Yang taking the lead and assuming combat positions, expecting a fight.

What they found however, was their leader talking with team JNPR and no sign of immediate danger. Yang approached her sister to inquire what this was all about while she and Blake followed. As Ruby explained her current predicament, Weiss could not help but notice the other team's attire. The four of them were sweaty and seemed as if they had just finished a workout.

Her eyes were particularly drawn to a certain blonde leader. Despite being raised to maintain her poise and dignity at all times since she was a child, the heiress was still a teenage girl. Like all teenagers her age, Weiss could appreciate how attractive a person of the opposite sex could be and currently, Jaune was a prime example of such. His tank top left little to the imagination and she was given a view of his muscular physique.

Her thoughts began to wander a little bit as she and the others tried to comfort the distraught Ruby.

Ever since their little argument, Weiss and her leader had begun to warm up to each other, albeit at a slow and steady pace. Her perspective about the whole leadership issue between them was quickly resolved after a serious talk with Professor Port. While she still questioned Ozpin's decision for putting Ruby in charge, there was no denying that Weiss had acted like a spoiled brat. Complaining would get her nowhere and that the best thing she could do at the moment was to improve not only as a Huntress but also as a person. Admittedly, her partner was often immature and childish but Weiss was also aware of the effort Ruby was putting into her studies in the hopes of becoming a better leader for them.

On that note, she and Ruby were now on better terms and dare she say it….friends.

It would also appear that she had another infuriating leader filling a spot next to Ruby's on her short list of companions.

During these past few weeks, Jaune had been doing whatever he can to get a rise out of her. He cracked out jokes just to see if he could get her to laugh, he acted stupid to purposely annoy her, and he often joined Yang in the teasing to embarrass her. Apparently her reactions amused him to some degree and he would often do this whenever he got the chance. Honestly, he was like an immature child, even more so than Ruby sometimes.

Ugh, boys were so aggravating. At least there were a few like Ren who was less outspoken and could actually hold an intelligent conversation every now and then.

But there were moments, very rare ones, when Weiss caught glimpses of another side of Jaune's personality. Whenever he stepped into the arena to spar, his smile would instantly vanish and fierce determination seemed to take its place. His cheerful blue eyes turned into piercing blue orbs that were intimidating and calculative. It was as if he was a different person every time he was met with an opponent.

It was an unnerving experience once she had been his sparring partner during one of the combat sessions. She won in the end but it had definitely not been easy.

Weiss was cut off from her train of thought when the boy she was thinking about told them to check their respective lockers. Seeing no harm in doing so, she walked up to her assigned pod and punched in her security code only to find it empty. She blinked before it truly hit her.

After hearing a few curse words from Yang and a minor rant from her, the two teams formed a loose circle among themselves to try and make sense of the whole situation.

"Why would anyone want to steal our weapons?" Ren asked no one in particular.

Yang slammed her fist into her palm. "Frankly, I don't care about their reasons. I'm just going to pound their faces into the ground once I get my hands on them."

"Don't be stupid." Weiss said, earning a small glare from the busty blonde. "We should just report this to one of the Professors."

"I'm with Yang!" Nora declared.

"Nora, you could get expelled." Ren told her. Although Weiss could see that he wasn't entirely against the idea.

Ruby chose to remain silent throughout the heated discussion and she wasn't the only one. Weiss noticed Jaune had yet to voice his opinion about the matter at hand. It was then that her eyes caught sight of the sword in his grasp.

"Care to explain, Arc?" Weiss demanded, pointing to the weapon, effectively turning all eyes on him. "Why do you still have your weapon when ours are clearly missing?"

Jaune frowned at her. "It sounds to me like you're implying something princess. Something you want to say? I'm all ears."

Not one to back down so readily, Weiss stepped up to him. "Alright, I'll say it. Whatever prank you're pulling this time, allow me to be the first to say that it's not funny. Now, if you would please stop this nonsense already and just give back our equipment then I'm willing to overlook this."

"Whoa, wait a minute. You think I did this?"

She gestured toward his sword. "The evidence speaks for itself. I wouldn't put it past you to stoop to this level just to amuse yourself. However, I think that your childishness has gone too far today."

"Well princess, if you could stop acting like a spoiled brat for a moment then maybe I can convince you how wrong you are." Jaune said in a tone that irked her even more.

"Talk all you want but the fact remains that you're the only one of us who still has a weapon." Weiss retorted. "Doesn't that seem to warrant some suspicion?"

"Oh so that automatically makes me the only suspect? Great detective work Weiss."

The two of them were almost nose to nose now as they glared at each other and the tension was getting thick. Their friends had become awfully quiet during the exchange but at the moment, the heiress couldn't care any less. This boy had been the bane of her existence since the start of the school year. He was always causing trouble. Now, instead of simply admitting his deed, Jaune apparently plans to drag this out longer than necessary. Furthermore, he had the audacity to insult her by replying in sarcastic remarks.

Meanwhile, a part of her wondered where all of her anger was coming from and whether or not it was all directed at him. She wasn't sure how their argument had escalated so quickly but at this point she felt as if it was too late to stop it. Something about the way he said the words "princess" and "spoiled brat" hurt her more than she would care to admit as memories of a lonely girl wandering around a huge mansion with only servants attending to her resurfaced.

So many empty rooms….

Yang tried to step in before things got out of hand. "Hey, come on you two, break it up."

"Grr, you are the most insufferable person I have ever met Jaune Arc!" Weiss said heatedly. "All you ever do is pester me and grate on my nerves. I don't know how Pyrrha puts up with you as a partner but I do know that I'm glad that you weren't mine or else I might have forced myself to drop out the moment we made eye contact in the forest!"

Regret instantly filled her as soon as the words left her mouth. Where did that come from? More importantly, why the hell did she say those things? Weiss honestly didn't believe in anything that she had just uttered and cursed herself for letting her anger cloud her judgment but the damage was done. She couldn't take any of it back.

She could see his jaw clenching and her chest tightened even more when she saw how much her words affected him by looking into his eyes.

"I apologize for being such an inconvenience, Ms. Schnee." Jaune said in a cold monotone that cut through her like a knife. "It won't happen again."

"Jaune, I—," Weiss started to say but the young knight turned and walked off before she could finish.

Pyrrha immediately tried to catch up with her partner. Ren only sighed before following his teammates out of the room with Nora a few paces behind him. The orange haired bomber had noticeably lost the usual spring in her step as she exited the locker room.

It was at that moment the Yang rounded on Weiss. "What the hell was that?"

"I-I didn't mean it. I just…" Weiss trailed off as she slowly sank down dejectedly onto the bench next to Ruby, who looked conflicted about the situation.

"I know that we're all annoyed because our weapons have been taken, but it doesn't mean that you could just take your frustrations out on Jaune!" Yang said.

"Your suspicions might have held some merit, however, that last part was out of line." Blake told her with a disapproving scowl. "We should have listened to his explanation first."

Weiss couldn't help but feel more miserable with each word her teammates spoke because they were right. She had jumped to conclusions without considering the other possibilities first. Stupid was not a word that would ever be associated with a person such as her but there was no denying that she had acted without thinking and now she was paying the price for it.

It was Ruby's turn to speak but her words were of comfort and assurance. "Cheer up Weiss. I'm sure Jaune knows that you didn't mean any of the things you said. Just give him a little time to cool off before you apologize. I'm a hundred percent positive that he'll forgive you."

The sheer confidence behind Ruby's words made her want to believe her partner. Weiss could detect no hint of doubt from her statement. It was times like these that Weiss couldn't help but admire the younger girl's innocence and optimistic perspective about the world. She could use some right about now.

"How can you be so sure?" Weiss asked.

Ruby responded by giving her a smile and a simple sentence as if it explained everything. "You guys are friends."

* * *

Meanwhile, unknown to eight students, they failed to hear the fading footsteps of a student that had been eavesdropping on the small spectacle since the beginning. He had simply stumbled upon the sight of team RWBY rushing into the locker rooms and ducked just out of sight near the entrance. The student managed to hide himself around another corner just as Jaune stormed out of the room followed by his teammates. A wicked smile formed on his face as he headed back to his dorm to get ready for class.

"That worked out better than I thought." Cardin said to no one in particular.

* * *

To say that he was in a bad mood would be an understatement. Listening to one of Professor Oobleck's lectures were difficult enough with the man zooming about the room and talking in a rapid fire pace that made it hard to understand what he was saying most of the time. Once you got distracted for even a moment, you'd be left in the dust trying to catch up with the day's lesson. Case in point: One distracted Jaune Arc who had already given up trying to make heads or tails of what the man was discussing. He'd just ask Pyrrha or Ren to lend him their notes after class.

Instead his thoughts lingered on the argument with Weiss this morning.

He couldn't believe how a small discussion could get so out of hand. Granted that he also found it strange as to why his weapon had been the only one that was not taken but to suggest that he stole their weapons as some kind of joke angered him. He would never go so far as to cause them more trouble than they could handle! Everyone knew how important a Hunter's weapon was to the individual. In Ruby's words, they were an extension of themselves.

The worst part was the things Weiss said in the end that got to him. It stung to know that after all the time they had spent together, she thought he was nothing but a constant annoyance. While he knew that the whole thing was partly his fault for dragging the argument out longer than necessary and for taking some uncalled barbed shots at her, it still didn't clear her from branding him as a thief.

He appreciated his teammates' attempt at cheering him up and keeping his mind off the incident but it didn't help that much. The two teams generally avoided each other for the rest of the day due to the current tension between their members. They sat at different tables at lunch and selected seats that would place them on opposite sides of the classroom.

By this point, the bells had signaled the end of class and Professor Oobleck was giving them a few last minute reminders.

"Remember students, I expect you all to read the next chapter before our next class as well as a two page essay about what we covered today." Oobleck instructed them as they each began to file out. "Mr. Arc, a small word if you please."

He turned to his teammates. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with you."

They nodded and eventually left him alone with the hyperactive History Professor.

"I couldn't help but notice your lack of attentiveness in my class today." Oobleck said as he gathered some papers on his desk. "While I do not show favoritism, it is my duty as a teacher to educate and instruct each of you to become the best Huntsman you can be. I cannot do so if one of my students has their head in the clouds."

"Yes sir," Jaune said, nodding respectfully. "I'm just having problems with one of my….classmates."

He was reluctant to call Weiss his friend again so quickly. He still considered her as one, despite everything but he wasn't sure if she thought the same.

"Well then I suggest you fix it, Mr. Arc." Oobleck said. "Because I won't tolerate any distractions and I expect you to participate actively in my class."

Jaune sighed. "I wish it was that simple Professor but it's…complicated."

"Nonsense," Oobleck straightened his glasses and sipped from his mug. "Well of course you're not going to get anything done with that attitude! Any problem could easily be fixed as long as you are truly willing to do so. Some people give up too easily or simply don't give enough effort which is why they never accomplish anything. Now, if you'll excuse me, there is much work to be done and so little time."

With that being said, the green-haired professor zoomed out of the room faster than Jaune could see him move. Seriously, what was he putting into his coffee?

However, the man did have a point. While there were still feelings of hurt and anger, he didn't want things to remain like this between him and Weiss. He knew that he had to make amends as soon as possible and hopefully she was willing to do the same. As he walked out of the classroom, he began thinking of a way that could mend the rift and that was when he thought about what started the whole argument in the first place: The stolen weapons.

It would be a step in the right direction if he wished to regain her companionship.

Besides, he had a pretty good idea about who was behind the theft. Of course, he had no concrete evidence to prove this. However, it wasn't too far-fetched to say this was all Cardin's doing. Judging from the smug smirk on the boy's face as soon as Jaune turned a corner and came face to face with the said boy, the blonde had a gut feeling that he was correct in his assumptions.

"How's it going Jauney boy?" Cardin greeted in a suspiciously civil tone. The young knight swore he could already see the smug smirk threatening to appear on his face as the boy blocked his path.

Jaune sighed tiredly. He wasn't in the mood for this. "What do you want?"

"Can't a guy just stop by and chat with his good buddy?" Cardin adopted an innocent smile that just screamed trouble.

The blonde clenched his fist as he tried to retrain himself from punching the boy's lights out. "Look Cardin, I don't give two shits about what your game is and frankly, I have better things to do."

Jaune roughly brushed past the larger student and barely took two steps when Cardin's next words stopped him.

"I'm sure you do, Jauney-boy. It's a real shame about your weapons getting stolen. I hope you can find it soon. The Ice Queen might even forgive that whole argument in the locker rooms earlier."

The way he spoke, as if he was deliberately throwing it in his face, triggered something in the blonde. Cardin was baiting him and was waiting to see what his reaction would be. Jaune had no proof but there was no doubt in his mind that the culprit behind this theft was none other than the leader of team CRDL.

Jaune could tolerate any form of bullying from anyone as long as it was directed at him. However, targeting his friends was a big mistake and Cardin was about to learn this the hard way.

As quick as a cobra, Jaune twisted around and raised his fist to deliver a swift punch to his jaw. However, Cardin had been expecting this and caught it in his hand. The brutish boy reared his other hand back to retaliate but the blonde sent a thrust kick that nailed the boy in the chest and sent him stumbling back.

The two students glared at each other and were about to charge forward again when someone interfered by appearing between them. Jaune's eyes widened as he caught sight of the newcomer. The teen had dark skin and messy copper hair. He wore an orange vest with a high collar and dark pants that had several pouches lined on his belt. The blonde knight noticed that the guy had several scars along his arms.

The unknown teen turned to face him and Jaune almost flinched once he got a good look at his face. His eyes were pure white and to be honest, quite unsettling.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Another voice made itself known.

Jaune looked behind him to see an older girl approaching them. She had fair skin and short brown hair with highlights at the tips. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at her choice of clothing. She was dressed as if she were headed to a fashion show or something with all her accessories and whatnot. She peered at them over the top of her designer shades. However, the girl did have a certain air about her and she strode forward with confidence.

"Looks like a couple of freshmen are having a little squabble." The girl said with her arms crossed and her hip cocked to the side. "Sorry kids, but you better knock it off before my teammate has to bash your skulls together for you to get the message."

The dark skinned boy rolled his shoulders and stared at them with his unnerving pale eyes. Jaune had to admit that the boy did in fact look very intimidating. Plus, judging from the way these two carried themselves, it became abundantly clear to him that they were older students due to the girl's freshman comment.

Cardin seemed to be coming to the same conclusion and realized that he was no match for the new arrivals. He just grunted and tried to salvage some face. "Tch, whatever, I'm done here anyway. I'll be seeing you soon Arc."

The larger student then turned and made his way back to the dorms, leaving the blonde knight with the two senior students. Jaune had to frown at the boy's parting words. What did he mean by that?

"Well, that was easy." The girl said as Jaune faced them. "Lucky for you, we arrived just in the nick of time to save your butt."

"I could have handled him." Jaune stated defensively.

The girl only rolled her eyes behind her shades. "I wasn't talking about the dumbass you were fighting."

She then pointed to one of the security cameras above her, located just below the ceiling.

"If that happened to escalate any further, someone might have seen it." She explained as if he were slow on the uptake. "Velvet would probably appreciate it if her new friend didn't get himself suspended for doing something stupid."

Hearing the name of the girl that he only started to get to know since the cafeteria incident, Jaune made him frown in confusion. He occasionally spoke to her during Professor Oobleck's class and it was then that he learned that she actually belonged to the batch of students before them. He also remembered her telling him a little about her team and how their schedules clashed sometimes. Wait a minute…..

"You're Velvet's teammates?" He unintentionally blurted out.

"Yep, I'm Coco and this is Fox." She gestured to herself and the pale-eyed boy. "We heard about what happened between you and what's his name? Carson? Carl? Anyways, we're grateful that you stood up for her when we weren't around. Not a lot of people would have done it considering her heritage."

Jaune scratched his head sheepishly. "No problem. I know what it's like to be picked on because of whose family you're born into and she probably has it worse."

Coco nodded. "I see her as my sister but I swear that girl is too gentle for her own good. She can fight Grimm as good as some of the best damn Hunters around but she refuses to stand up for herself in front of other people. Those goons that were making fun of her had gotten lucky. I'd like to see them try mocking her in front of me."

She hefted a small handbag and it was only then that Jaune noticed the bullets lined around her waist. Coco slung the small bag over her shoulder and he could sense that the thing was probably heavier than it looked. The girl did a pretty good job of making a purse look intimidating. Factor in her imposing stare and it would make most guys think twice before even daring to approach her.

"Weren't you the one warning me to avoid fights five minutes ago?" Jaune said with a hint of a teasing smirk. "You're not exactly setting a good example for your younger peers."

The girl gave him a quick once over before nodding as if coming to a decision.

"You know what? I like you kid." Coco said with a small grin. "You got spunk."

"Thanks, I guess," Jaune replied. Then to his utter surprise, she reached down and smacked him right on the ass. Honestly, he had no idea how to respond to that.

"Well, we better get going. See ya around." Coco said as she began to walk past him with Fox a few paces behind. The quieter one of the two gave him a small nod in farewell.

Jaune watched them round the corner before deciding to catch up with his team. He checked his scroll for the time and found that it was almost time for dinner which meant that they were probably at the mess hall. He was about to tuck the small device back in his pocket when a tone alerted him of a message he just received. It was probably Pyrrha checking up on him.

He tapped on the message icon and displayed the message. However, it wasn't his partner that sent it. Jaune read through it and clenched his teeth by the end.

_If you want the weapons back, meet us at the combat arena tonight as soon as it's passed curfew. Come alone. - C_

* * *

Pyrrha shifted to her side as she tried to get more comfortable. Sleep still eluded her even though it was already an hour since they all tucked in for the night. They spent the earlier half of the evening after dinner by doing their homework and mostly helping Nora with hers. Not to say that the bubbly girl was stupid, but she was easily distracted and grew bored with solving problems and writing essays.

The red-haired girl had suppress her giggle as she thought about Ren's stern scolding when Nora fell asleep in the middle of his explanation about a certain aspect of the assignment.

Her elation soon subsided when she thought about her remaining teammate. Jaune had been no help at all in trying to get Nora to focus since he was so distracted himself. Ever since this morning, her partner had been lost in his musings and constantly spaced out during class. She tried to strike up multiple conversations with him to get him out of his funk but it seemed that he wasn't in the mood for it.

Perhaps the argument with Weiss earlier today was still weighing on him. She felt a little guilty for not jumping in and putting a stop to the heated discussion before it escalated any further than needed. Instead she just stood there like an idiot and let the events unfold. Some friend she was.

Suddenly, a soft padding of footsteps caught her attention. She heard the door to their shared closet opening quietly and she allowed herself to peek through half closed eyelids. Needles to say, she was surprised when she caught a glimpse of Jaune silently putting on his armor and attaching his weapon to his hip. He turned his head to glance in her direction, probably to make sure they were still sleeping, and Pyrrha immediately shut her eyes and feigned unconsciousness.

What was he up to? Surely he knew of the curfew that the school expected them to abide. It just didn't make any sense for him to just up and leave in the middle of the night. She knew that Jaune generally avoided getting into trouble else he might incur the terrible wrath of his mother (Jaune told her some stories). In any case, he must have a good reason to be bringing his weapon along with him.

She heard the door to their room open and close, with a barely audible click. Pyrrha immediately got up to see that Jaune had left. She quickly changed out of her sleeping gown and into something more casual. She didn't want to waste any time putting on her armor and even if she did, she had no weapons for it to be of any use.

She internally debated on whether or not to wake her other two teammates to follow their leader. In the end, she opted to follow him on her own and perhaps find out his reasons to go for a nightly stroll. So, after putting on a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of sandals, she immediately set out to find her partner.

Pyrrha shut the door to their room as quietly as she could before racing down the hall to pursue Jaune.

* * *

Meanwhile, a nervous Ruby was tiptoeing down the hall in search for anyone that might spot her. She peeked around a corner and once she deemed that the coast was clear, she continued to stealthily make her way down to the kitchens for a midnight snack. She would most likely get into trouble for breaking curfew but as of this moment, the incessant growling of her stomach was more important to her.

She had been having a pretty bad day. First, she woke up to find her weapon stolen from her locker. Plus, it seemed that her friends' weapons had also been taken except for Jaune's, which was weird. Then, Weiss decided to accuse the blonde knight for stealing their equipment as some sort of joke and now the two were barely speaking to each other since the locker rooms. They even had to sit at different tables during meals!

Cheering up Weiss had been a good way to keep her mind off of her missing sweetheart. Ruby could tell that her partner felt really bad for saying all of those things to Jaune and wanted to apologize but she just didn't know how to do it. The younger girl had to suppress a sigh at the thought of the heiress's dumb pride hindering her ability to make amends. Ruby hated it when her friends didn't get along.

She continued to silently creep along the hallways when she heard the sound of footsteps heading in her direction. Fighting down her panic, she frantically began to look for someplace to hide. What if it was Miss Goodwitch? Oh gosh, anyone but her. She was a fair professor but the woman was somewhat of an enforcer when it came to school rules. Ruby did not want to spend her weekend writing a five page essay about her behavior and how to avoid repeating an incident.

The sound of footsteps was getting closer and Ruby still had nowhere to…wait a minute, bingo! A janitor's closet was just down the hall. She used her Semblance to make a mad dash for it. Fortunately, it wasn't locked and she ducked inside before closing the door. The girl crouched down in the small space of cleaning supplies and breathed in relief. That was close!

She heard the footsteps getting louder until the person was almost a few feet away from her position. It was then that Ruby had a horrible thought. What if it was the janitor? She'd be in trouble for sure and there was nowhere to run.

_Calm down, maybe it isn't the janitor. But what if it is? He'll report me to a professor for sneaking past curfew. Gah! What am I going to do? All I wanted was a midnight snack! Is that too much to ask? Okay, just breathe Ruby. I know! I'll just take a peek through the door to see who it is._

Steeling her nerves, she slowly opened the door just enough to see through the small opening but not enough to be noticed. The footsteps were about to pass by the closet and a person came into view. However, it wasn't someone she expected to be up and about at this hour. Why was Jaune dressed in his armor at this time of the night?

She was so confused by his sudden appearance that she didn't notice a small puddle of spilled soap next to her when she adjusted her footing slightly. Ruby inevitably slipped onto her butt and let out a small "eep!" of surprise. She slapped her hands over her mouth and stayed absolutely still.

Luckily, Jaune seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and failed to notice her as he turned left at the next corner.

Ruby let a few seconds elapse before she slowly got up and let herself out. She stared at the direction in which her friend took. Jaune was up to something and she had a bad feeling about it. She was thinking about following him to see what he planned to do when suddenly…

"Ruby?" A familiar voice behind her said.

The girl let out a small squeal in surprise as she whirled around to face the person behind her.

"Pyrrha, don't scare me like that!" Ruby reprimanded the older girl as she tried to reign in her rapidly beating heart rate.

The red-head smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but I have to ask, why are you still up this late and what were you doing in the janitor's closet?"

"Well uh, you see…wait what are you doing up so late?" Ruby retorted. Not wanting to divulge her real reasons for breaking curfew she relied on a tactic she used on Yang and dad whenever she got into trouble. She would answer a question with a question and confuse them so that they would eventually forget to scold her.

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment before deciding to answer honestly. "I was following Jaune."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Ruby asked, genuinely concerned for her co-leader.

"I don't know." Ruby could hear the worry in Pyrrha's voice. "I saw him leave the dorm with his weapon and armor but I have no idea what he plans to do."

That made up Ruby's mind for her. "Then let's find out! If he's in trouble then we can be there to help. I saw him go this way."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded as the two girls hurried to pursue their friend.

* * *

"I was starting to think you weren't going to show." Cardin said.

Jaune didn't bother to respond as he stepped into the combat arena. Cardin and his team were standing on the other end with their weapons drawn. All the lights save for the one above them were turned off, casting the bleachers in total darkness. He also couldn't help but notice that the security cameras didn't seem to be working properly since the red light that indicated whether the camera was recording was turned off.

"Alright Cardin, what do you want?" Jaune demanded with a scowl. "I know you're not just going to return the weapons for free."

A chuckle escaped the larger boy as he hefted his mace onto his shoulder. "We go straight to the point huh? Okay then. See, here's the thing, nobody humiliates me without some repercussions. I mean nobody."

Jaune whistled. "That was a pretty big word for you Cardin. Good job."

"You think you're so clever, don't you Jauney boy?" Cardin sneered. "I'm going to enjoy pounding you into the dirt."

"That's tough talk for someone who has his buddies standing behind him." Jaune said, eyeing the other three.

"I never said I planned to fight fair." Cardin said. "I don't give a damn about your stupid weapons. That was just the bait to get you here. All I want to see is you in the infirmary by tomorrow."

Cardin tightened his grip on his mace while the other three took up hesitant battle positions.

Jaune exhaled deeply. So it came down to this after all. He had an inkling suspicion about what Cardin wanted from the moment he sent the message but he assumed that the boy at least had some pride to fight one on one. Apparently, this was not the case and the boy's only intention was to cause him physical harm.

Seeing no other option available to him, Jaune slowly drew his sword and activated his shield. The blonde usually avoided unnecessary fights because one of the most important things his grandfather had drilled into him was:

_A sword is no toy Jaune. Whenever you draw your weapon, you have the responsibility of wielding it as an extension of yourself. Cast all of your childish inclinations aside because in your hands is something that has the ability to either take life or protect it. _

He took those words to heart and now was a prime opportunity to display it. Cardin and his team were going to come at him and he had a feeling that they won't be holding back. Fighting Grimm was one thing but facing human being was different. Jaune would do his best to remember what separates a man from a monster. While Cardin is a bully, he was far from evil.

Still, that didn't mean he was going to go easy on them. He continued to do poorly in Miss Goodwitch's class because he had been trying to perfect a skill that was far from complete. Jaune thought that it would be useful once he managed to master it. For now, he would let his training speak for itself.

Jaune slipped into his normal combat stance. However, there was a notable change that even Cardin seemed to notice. Every time he fought in class, his sword work was slightly stiff and awkward while also lacking the power behind blows and swings. This will not be the case now because…

…this time, the sword was in his _right _hand.

* * *

**Dun dun dunnn. Sorry but I have to end it right here. Don't hate me for it. So there you have it, the big reveal about why Jaune can manage a little bit but can never win in a match. Also, as you may have noticed, updates might become a little more irregular since things are becoming super stressful on my end. But anyways, I'll try to update as soon as I can. So as always, leave your reviews and tell me what you think!**


	10. One Step Ahead

**Wohoo! Reached a hundred reviews on this story! Thanks guys! Sorry it took so long but things have been crazy! Now, I present the next chapter!**

* * *

"_Checkmate." His grandpa said as he placed his knight in position for the winning move. A rook made sure that his king couldn't shift upward while a bishop guarded an empty open white space to his right. He was trapped and had no choice but to admit defeat…_

…_.For the thirteenth time in a row that morning._

"_You're enjoying this too much." Jaune scowled at the smug look his grandfather sported from across the small table. "I thought we were supposed to train today?"_

"_What do you think we've been doing for the past two hours?" His grandpa said while he began to rearrange the pieces for another game._

"_Well you've been grinning like a madman after every match so I thought you just liked winning so much."_

_Grandpa chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "While I do get an unmistakable amount of satisfaction from my victories, I assure you Jaune that this is indeed part of your training."_

"_Sure it is." Jaune rolled his eyes. He was starting to get seriously annoyed after so many defeats even though it was just a board game. With a resigned sigh, the young Arc moved his pawn forward to start another match. If what his grandfather said was true then they would probably go at this all day until he called a stop._

"_Is that sarcasm I hear?" Grandpa asked as he also moved one of his pawns. _

"_It's just that I don't see how this will help me improve at all." Jaune said. "I mean, yeah it will help me develop some strategies and plans but aside from that, this is pointless."_

_His grandfather shook his head in disappointment. "You youngsters today are all so impatient. All you care about is who has the biggest weapon or the best Semblance. Very well, watch closely and I'll teach you something."_

_And so, the game of chess continued. With each placement of pieces Jaune couldn't help but frown at his predicament. By now, the only important pieces he had were his knight and bishop while his grandpa still had two rooks, a knight and his queen. He tried to get one of his remaining pawns to the other side of the board to try and replace it with a queen of his own but he was stopped by another pawn from advancing. _

_Before he knew it, the game was over. "Checkmate."_

"_Alright, I get it, now can we just skip to the part where I can actually use this?"_

_His grandfather frowned at his impatience and gestured at the board. "First off, what did you notice during our match? Think carefully."_

_Jaune racked his brain for an answer. "Well, after the first couple of moves, I hesitated in moving some of my pieces because you were always ready to take one."_

"_What else?"_

_The young teen directed his attention to the board. "Whenever I moved my queen, your bishop and knight were already in position to take it. At the time that I finally took out those two pieces, I lost half of my forces."_

"_True, that is one of the main reasons you lost." His grandfather picked up his fallen queen. "You were so focused on defending your most powerful asset that you failed to notice your soldiers getting picked off one by one."_

"_I didn't have a choice." Jaune casually defended. "Even if I did use one of them, you would have just defeated my queen and then destroyed the others."_

"_And why did you think that happened?" Jonah gave him a pointed stare._

"_Because…." Jaune tried to come up with an answer but he failed._

_Jonah sighed and tapped on the board. "I was able to win because I knew you would make those moves."_

_Jaune continued to look confused as his grandfather explained further._

"_You see Jaune, this game is about more than just simple strategy. Even the best plans never survive first contact with the enemy. A general can spend months organizing his troops into the perfect formation but it will never last more than a few minutes in the heat of battle. The real trick is to anticipate your enemy's actions four moves ahead without them noticing."_

"_So, I have to think about what the other guy's going to do before he realizes it himself?" Jaune ventured._

"_In a manner of speaking, that is exactly what you're supposed to do." Grandpa said. "If you can somehow guess what your opponent is about to attempt then it is merely a simple task to adjust yourself beforehand and counter. For example, how would you defend a simple overhead strike?"_

_Jaune shrugged. "I'd probably block with my sword or my shield."_

"_And now, since I know that you are about to do just that, I can easily change into a feint and instead ram you with my shield or a kick in the abdomen to knock you off-balance."_

_The young Arc tried opened his mouth to say something but then snapped it shut again as he lost what he was about to say._

"_Not so useless now, is it?" Jonah said with an amused smirk on his face. "Of course, anticipating your enemy's moves is one thing but manipulating him into doing those moves at the opportune moment is another important part of the game. However, let's go at this one step at a time since I feel that you still greatly lack the certain finesse to pull it off. For now, let's start by putting yourself in your opponent's shoes and try to think about what you would do in his situation."_

_Jaune looked down at the newly reset chess pieces with more determination. "Okay, let's try that again."_

* * *

Pyrrha and Ruby quietly shadowed the blonde leader of JNPR as he hastily made his way through the empty corridors of Beacon. The two girls often had to hide behind corners to avoid being seen since Jaune did glance around from time to time to make sure he wasn't being followed. So far, her partner was unaware of the fact that they were behind him.

The redheaded Spartan had to give Ruby credit. She was far stealthier than Pyrrha thought. She just assumed that because of her cheerful nature, which was quite similar to Nora's, that she would be ill-suited for the task of silent pursuit. She could see that the younger girl clearly earned her spot here at the academy despite being moved ahead by two years.

However, Pyrrha did have to pull her back behind a corner as she leaned outward a little more than necessary to observe Jaune.

"Sorry." She whispered a little embarrassed that she almost gave them away.

The two of them risked a peek into the hall where they spotted Jaune enter a classroom. The two Huntresses waited for a few minutes before nodding to each other. They crept silently up to the door where her partner disappeared into.

"That's odd. What does he plan to do in the Combat Arena?" Ruby asked.

"Let us find out." Pyrrha said before quietly opening the door and letting Ruby dash inside first. A trail of rose petals were left behind as the girl used her Semblance. The young Spartan followed and shut the door with a barely audible click. She crouched next to Ruby as the two of them observed what was about to transpire.

The first thing she noticed was the considerably bright spotlight directed to the center of the arena. At the far end of the circular space stood Cardin and his team. The four students had their weapons drawn and were just waiting for her partner. She should've known that the brutish boy had been involved in this somehow.

"What's Cardin doing here?" Ruby asked quietly. "Are they going to fight?"

"I believe so." Pyrrha replied. However, she couldn't help but question her partner's motives for allowing him-self to get drawn into another confrontation with Cardin.

Jaune had just entered the large area where he and Cardin exchanged a few words that they couldn't hear. After which, the boys all assumed their respective combat stances. She could see that her partner was hesitant to draw his weapon but it would seem that he had no choice unless he wanted to get beaten up.

Pyrrha wished that she had her spear and shield so that she could go down there and help him. She felt a little bad for doubting the blonde but his combat skills had been rather below par lately. The two of them trained together when they had free time but she had yet to see any real improvement from her leader.

Ruby was fidgeting beside her, obviously wanting to assist Jaune as well despite not having a weapon.

It was when the red-head saw the change in his usual stance that her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. Her leader now stood a little straighter and from the looks of it, his sword didn't feel so awkward in his hands. How had she missed it? All this time and she never knew that Jaune was actually right-handed.

* * *

Cardin wasted no time by giving his teammates a signal that clearly meant to begin engaging. The three members of team Cardinal got into a hasty formation before running forward to meet Jaune head on. Sky was in front due to the fact that his weapon offered more reach while Dove charged a few paces behind him. Russel veered to the left in attempt to catch the blonde in between two of their assaults.

In all honesty, it wasn't a bad plan. It would be difficult to fend them off in two directions. However, he didn't plan to just stand there and wait for them.

_Sometimes, you have to strike first to win._

With that thought in mind, Jaune immediately sprinted forward to face his attackers. Instead of going straight, the blonde quickly changed directions and decided to go after Russel first because he had no support. However, he did manage to get a glimpse of Cardin heading toward him.

Suddenly, he heard someone fire a shot that missed him by inches. Jaune looked back to see Dove aiming his weapon at him from behind Sky. The young knight immediately raised his shield as a Dove began to fire in rapid succession. He was able to deflect most of the Dust rounds as he and Russel rapidly closed in on each other.

Once the two were within reach of each other, Russel swung his left blade and aimed to catch him on the side of his chest. Jaune managed to meet the weapon with his own and blocked the strike with his sword. The blonde then ducked into a quick roll and ended up on his opponent's right side just as he heard several shots fire from behind him. The dual sword wielder quickly turned to face him as he prepared to swipe at the young knight with both of his weapons.

From his crouched position, Jaune adjusted the grip he had on his sword and forced himself into a standing position while he delivered a powerful underhand cut to knock Russel's blades upward. He wasn't able to disarm the boy but his opponent was caught off-guard by the amount of force behind the attack and was momentarily knocked off balanced. Not wasting any time, Jaune pressed his advantage and followed it up by ramming his shield into the dual-wielder that made him stumble backwards.

"You're mine Jauney-boy!" Cardin said from behind him just before he brought down his exploding mace. However, Jaune had been expecting him to attack since the moment he caught sight of him charging in his direction. The young knight leaped out of the way as an explosion destroyed the spot where he had been standing.

He didn't have time to catch his breath as he felt something bite into his shoulder. Jaune raised his shield just in time to block a fresh hail of Dust bullets from Dove. He had momentarily forgotten about the other two coming from his left. Unfortunately for him, Russel had already recovered and was almost upon him again. The chambers on his blades that were similar to Weiss' rapier spun and landed on a yellow cartridge. The blades lit up with sparks of electricity.

Jaune made the mistake of meeting his dual strike with his shield. A jolt of lightning ran through his arm that made him grunt in pain. He then promptly planted his foot on Russel's chest and kicked him away before he could do anymore damage. The young knight then retreated for a couple of steps back with his shield arm hanging limply at his side. He could feel his Aura already dispelling the numbness.

"You don't look so good Jaune." Cardin taunted as he and his team regrouped. "Not so tough without that redheaded partner of yours, are you?"

The blonde brushed off the insult and responded with his own. "Wish I could say the same about your team, but I guess someone needs to hold your hand, right Cardin?"

The boy's nostrils flared angrily as he gripped his mace so hard that Jaune could see his knuckles turning white. Thanks to their little banter, his aura had mostly finished healing his arm to the point where he could move it again. He kept it hanging limply to his side however, to keep up the illusion that his left arm was still useless.

Cardin gave his team another signal and the other three once more charged at him. This time the three of them fell into step behind each other with Sky in front and Russel at the back.

Jaune then raised his sword and waited for them to reach him. Time seemed to slow down as he felt his heart thumping in his chest. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes.

_Okay, let's try this again._

Sky was now within striking distance and was about to swing at him. Jaune swung his sword to strike the weapon in an effort to stop it.

_Idiot, you can't stop my Halberd with just one hand!_

A confident smirk appeared on the other boy's face as their blades nearly clashed in the middle. However, the smirk soon turned into a look of shock as Jaune twisted his wrist at the last second and avoided meeting the powerful swing. The sword passed under the long weapon. Sky missed and now, Jaune's weapon was directed at his exposed side.

In a quick move, the young knight delivered a strong cut to the boy's arm. He didn't stop there. Jaune planted his foot forward, pivoted, and delivered another blow behind Sky's knee. The boy toppled to the ground as his momentum carried him forward and his leg failing to carry his weight after the sudden attack.

Jaune then charged forward to meet Dove. The young knight moved in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting hit by Dust bullets that were being sent his way. After a few moments, the other boy quickly readied himself to resort to close combat.

_Rushing in is a bad idea. I might end up like Sky. I'll wait for him to attack first. Then I'll counter and go for his useless shield arm._

Their swords clashed and the two of them exchanged a few blows that they both countered or blocked. The two of them reached a standstill at one point with their swords locked in the middle. Jaune's sword was positioned vertically while Dove's was held horizontally. Before Dove could push the young knight back, the blonde quickly slid his sword upward with force and used the cross-guard of his weapon to disarm his opponent.

Not wasting any time, Jaune slammed the hilt of his sword onto the surprised boy's face and made him stumble back. Russel appeared in his line of sight and was rapidly approaching. His dual blades were ablaze with fire.

_If I strike now, I could catch him off-guard._

However, Jaune saw him coming and decided to quit playing possum. Russel raised both of his blades and prepared to strike. The young knight lifted his shield just as his opponent brought down the ignited weapons. Instead of completely blocking it however, the blonde angled his shield so that it would deflect the strike and not absorb the force behind the blow. A wave of heat washed over him as the blades slid along the surface of his shield.

Not wasting a second, Jaune immediately lunged at Russel but the smaller boy sidestepped out of the way to the right. However, he never expected the blonde's follow up move. Using his heel, Jaune twisted counter clockwise and used the side of his shield to ram the unprepared boy backwards.

Needless to say, Cardin was the only one left standing at the moment. The boy looked angry and was currently charging at him with his mace held in both hands, ready to deliver a powerful swing.

_Bring it._

Jaune sprinted toward the larger student to meet him in combat. The blonde was a few feet away when Cardin unleashed a loud battle cry and swung his mace. At the same moment, the young knight pushed upward and lifted himself off the ground while poising his sword to lunge at the larger boy in mid-air.

Now, what happened next was so fast that you would have missed it if you weren't paying close attention.

Everything around the blonde seemed to fade into nothingness as he diverted all of his focus onto the opponent before him. Cardin's mace was already in motion and was mere inches away from delivering a clean hit. His target was Jaune's sword that was still too far to hit its mark. Once the mace made contact with anything, the resulting explosion might severely damage his arm and blow him backwards in the process.

Unfortunately for Cardin, he never could have expected what Jaune did next.

In an amazing show of control and coordination, the young knight switched his weapon into a reverse grip just in the nick of time and retracted his arm just enough for the explosive part of the mace to pass by untouched. This caused Cardin to be left completely open since he couldn't block to defend the reverse grip strike that Jaune delivered cleanly.

Although, neither of them noticed the faint glow Excalibur emanated just before the blade sliced into Cardin's cheek. The sword broke through his Aura like it wasn't even there and left a small cut on the boy's face. The glow was gone as quick as it came a second afterward.

Jaune landed in a crouch next to the stunned boy before he jumped away to a more defensive position. Wow, that actually worked, he thought. He successfully managed to pull it off without getting his arm blown to bits. For a moment, he thought that he was a goner but thankfully Lady Luck decided to smile upon him today.

He looked towards Cardin who was still rooted in place as he tried to comprehend the quick turn of events. He slowly reached up and touched his cheek where a small trail of blood leaked from the already healed wound thanks to his Aura. The large boy stared at the tip of his fingers that were now stained with a tiny amount of red before he gradually balled his hand into a fist.

Cardin turned around to face the person responsible. He didn't lash out or showed any visible signs of outrage like Jaune expected which was…odd. From the corner of his eye, the blonde could see the rest of team CRDL carefully creeping away from the two combatants. This action flared warning bells inside his mind.

He turned his attention back to Cardin.

"You're going to pay for that." The boy said in a dangerously calm tone.

_Uh oh_

* * *

Pyrrha bit her lip anxiously as the fight began. The tide was not in her partner's favor and team CRDL seemed to be winning straight from the get-go. Jaune was steadily losing ground as he tried to fend off his attackers from two directions. He was barely managing from the looks of it since they had the strength in numbers.

Ruby couldn't help herself and failed to restrain her comments and thoughts to herself.

"That's it keep your guard up!" Ruby said in a hushed tone while punching the air slightly. "Swing to the left. No, your other left! Gah! Look out!"

"Ruby!"

"Sorry."

With that said, Pyrrha turned her attention back to the fight just as Cardin was approaching to blindside a distracted Jaune with his mace. At that point, she didn't care about staying hidden anymore. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing while her friend might get hurt. She had to help her partner. She abruptly stood up and opened her mouth to shout out a warning but failed due to the sudden hand that clamped over her mouth.

"Hold it right there missy." A feminine voice told her. "Let's not interfere just yet."

She pushed away the person's hand and faced the girl who was suddenly standing right behind her. "Who are you?"

Even with the dim lighting, she saw the girl raise her eyebrows at her. "Name's Coco Adel and this is my teammate, Fox."

Pyrrha was slightly confused for a moment when she mentioned a second person with her but then she saw him holding onto a wide-eyed Ruby's mouth to prevent her from squealing in surprise.

"It's okay Fox. I think she got the message." Coco told the other boy.

He nodded and released his grip on the younger girl before opting to stand next to the Coco.

Now that she could observe the newcomers properly, Pyrrha could already tell that they were older students. They exuded an heir of seniority even without directly saying it. Plus, the fact that the two of them were able to sneak up on her and Ruby was a testament to their skill. She was confident in her prowess and she was sure that Ruby was no pushover but Coco and Fox got up right behind them and caught them completely off-guard.

"You know, it's rude not to give out your name as soon as another person introduced themselves." Coco peered at them over her shades. Pyrrha found it quite odd that she would choose to wear them despite the heavy lack of sunlight inside the combat room.

Quickly remembering her manners, she extended a hand to the older girl. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos and this is Ruby Rose."

"Hi." Ruby gave them a smile and a small wave.

Coco shook her hand before getting back down to business. "Now, care to explain why a couple of first years are sneaking past curfew? I don't think I even want to know about what's going on down there."

An explosion drew everyone's attention back to the fight taking place below them. Jaune had just managed to skip away from the attack and provided himself with enough distance for a quick respite. This could prove disadvantageous because it also gave team CRDL time to regroup.

"Oh great, it's those two again." Coco muttered. She fixed a stern stare on the two younger girls. "Start talking, now."

Pyrrha did her best to explain the situation in short and straightforward sentences starting with their missing weapons. Ruby jumped in from time to time, filling in details that she might have forgotten. Half-way through the story, the Spartan let her companion take over as she wanted to see how her leader was faring.

Jaune had been backed up to the far side of the arena looking slightly out of breath but otherwise unharmed. Team CRDL began to converge on her partner while their leader remained to see how things play out.

If this had been an ordinary match, she would never even think about interfering with the people participating in it. She respected the traditions of single combat and believed that it would be dishonorable to disrupt such an ancient practice. However, this was not the case at the present since Cardin and his team has opted to completely ignore the terms of a fair fight. Perhaps a little assistance would even the playing field a bit.

Pyrrha began to call upon her Semblance as her hand began to glow black. Raising her hand, she directed it at Sky who was leading the assault. Even a small tug or nudge on the weapon would be enough to knock the boy out of balance for Jaune to have an opening.

But before she could activate her Polarity, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Fox was staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"He's my friend. I have to do something." Pyrrha explained.

The older boy merely shook his head before he held his hand up for a pause gesture, pointed at his eyes and gestured to the fight.

_Just wait and observe the match_, he seemed to say.

The girl reluctantly lowered her hand and complied. The trio had reached the point where they would be within striking distance but Jaune looked undeterred. In fact, even from so far away, she could see the determined glint in her partner's eyes as he engaged them. She knew that look. She'd only seen it once before, back in the Emerald Forest, when they were faced with a dangerous Leo Grimm.

Sky swung his Halberd and the series of blows and moves that happened afterward was nothing short of impressive.

Jaune weaved through his opponents as easily as if threading a needle. He caught Sky off-guard and delivered two quick strikes that left the other boy stumbling into the ground before moving onto the next. He did the same to Dove and Russel and rendered them unarmed or otherwise momentarily stunned. The young knight attacked with a combination of such precision and ferocity that the other boys looked like they were moving seconds too slow in comparison.

Not only that, Pyrrha also noticed the slight alterations that her partner made whenever his weapons clashed with theirs. Being an experienced warrior herself, she could see the last minute variations to his sword strokes. It was then that she realized that he used a similar fighting style to hers.

While she used her Semblance to throw her opponents off-balance, allowing her to exploit the opening she created, Jaune was anticipating the next move before adjusting himself accordingly. He didn't need to create an opening for himself because anything that was thrown at him could be countered immediately. Of course, there were several drawbacks to this style of fighting. The largest disadvantage of this strategy would be the prediction in itself. No one could accurately determine the next person's actions by a hundred percent and there was always that risk of anticipating the wrong move.

However, the effects were remarkable and devastating once you get it right. Plus, Jaune's swordsmanship was very refined and solid now that he was using his dominant hand. He demonstrated excellent control over his weapon when he reversed his grip at the last second to avoid Cardin's mace and opened a small cut on his face.

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile as the larger boy just stood dumbfounded. She resisted the urge to cheer and merely settled for the feeling of pride for her partner and maybe something else. She fanned her face for a moment because of the heat rising to her cheeks. There was no denying the fact that Jaune looked absolutely hot right now.

She quickly banished those thoughts from her mind.

_Stupid Hormones!_

"Blondie's pretty good." Coco noted as she and Ruby joined them in observing the fight.

"Are you kidding? That was amazing!" Ruby barely contained her excited outburst. "He was all slice! And hi-yah!"

"Alright take it easy there." Coco told her before she could say anymore. "You two aren't off the hook yet. While I admit that Jaune doesn't seem the type to start looking for trouble, you can't put all of the blame on Cardin. He's a jerk and all but the fact remains that you guys have no concrete evidence to prove that he did it."

She was right, of course. Without the proper evidence, they would be hard pressed to accuse anyone of stealing their weapons. Cardin was a possible suspect but perhaps he had merely goaded Jaune out here to hash it out with him since Pyrrha was certain that he was still holding a grudge over the cafeteria incident.

But still, she had faith that Jaune would never have risen to the bait unless it was important…

"No. I trust my leader's judgment and I have a feeling that Cardin is involved." Pyrrha stated with utter confidence. "I'm sure of it."

Coco crossed her arms. "Well then, I hope you're right because you're going to need a lot more than feelings if you want to convict somebody of a crime."

* * *

A bead of sweat trailed down the side of Jaune's face as he prepared to spring into action. Cardin's earlier disposition of wild anger was now tamed and focused. In that moment, the blonde knew that he would have to be even more careful when he engaged the brutish boy.

Cardin bared his teeth at him before he swung his mace underhandedly. The weapon made contact with the ground and unleashed an explosion that dislodged a few chunks of the floor. The force of the swing and the explosion sent those chunks flying toward Jaune at great speeds. The young knight used his shield to deflect the attack and rolled to his right just as another volley of flying concrete was sent.

He then caught sight of Cardin barreling toward him at a faster pace than before. The large boy managed to bridge the gap between them in the seconds it took him to block the chunks of debris.

_A distraction!_ Jaune cursed himself for falling for the simple yet effective tactic.

Cardin was already upon him with his mace held high.

Seeing no other option available to him Jaune hastily activated his Semblance and received a significant boost. Hopefully this would be enough to block or even deflect the incoming blow. At the very least, it would increase his chance of taking the brunt of the attack without too much injury.

_I am going to feel this in the morning._

Strangely enough, the attack never landed and he unknowingly released the breath he was unconsciously holding. His relief was cut short when he found himself unable to move an inch and was locked in his current defensive position. What the hell was going on?

Then, the unmistakable sound of heels clicking on the floor was heard and Jaune could not suppress the nervous shudder that ran through his spine. This was not going to be good.

"Mr. Winchester, Mr. Arc, What on Remnant do you two think you're doing at this ungodly hour?"

The paralysis lifted and Jaune was finally able to move. Cardin's arm dropped to his side and the two boys turned their attention on the scowling blonde professor who, in simple terms, looked seriously pissed off.

"Well, care to explain yourselves?" Ms. Goodwitch demanded as she tapped her foot impatiently. She brandished her riding crop threateningly and her light green eyes flitted from one to the other.

Neither boy chose to speak and merely settled to glare at each other from the corner of their eyes.

The professor sighed. "Very well then, the two of you will follow me to the headmaster's office at once. Your teammates will also be accompanying us Mr. Winchester."

The blonde woman turned on her heels and briskly began to walk out of the room, her heels tapping on the floor. The two boys followed a few paces behind, subdued now that the fight was over and the adrenaline was fading. Unbeknownst to the professor, the two boys exchanged a brief glance that held a silent promise.

_We'll settle this another time._

Glynda stopped abruptly by the exit and frowned up at the bleachers. "The four of you may as well come out and join us in professor Ozpin's office."

"Yes ma'am!" A nervous squeak came from the dark bleachers. Jaune recognized the voice immediately and knew that it could only belong to one person.

* * *

Ozpin calmly sipped his coffee before setting the mug down gently on his desk. He then clasped his fingers together on top of his desk before turning his attention to the students standing in front of him. Glynda stood next to him, giving each of them a dose of her stern glare which they all wisely avoided. Jaune gulped when she lingered on Cardin and him a little longer than the rest.

Gods, that woman was scary when she was pissed off. She just exuded this aura of authority that made you want to stand at attention whenever she was within the vicinity and she had a zero tolerance for troublemakers. Not to mention the fact that she was wickedly good at using her riding crop. Case in point, the night he met Ruby when she just came out of nowhere and battled with a mysterious accomplice of Roman Torchwick.

Jaun was actually kind of glad that Professor Ozpin was the one who would be hearing them out. Monty knows what kind of punishment Ms. Goodwitch might have given them.

"Now, I would like to hear all the accounts first before I come to any conclusions." He spoke calmly. "Let us start with you Miss Rose."

Ruby shuffled forward nervously before once again recounted her version of the events. Once she was finished, Ozpin turned to Miss Nikos for her account and this continued until each of the students had their chance to tell their sides of the story. As expected, Cardin and his team denied stealing the weapons. However, thanks to Pyrrha and Ruby's decision to follow him earlier, the larger student couldn't deny luring Jaune out for a late night rumble.

"Well, it appears that we are faced with quite the conundrum." Ozpin stated once the students were finished. "Mr. Winchester and his team claim to have taken no part in the theft of your weapons and yet Mr. Arc swore that he received a message earlier today sent by Cardin to meet him this evening if he wanted to retrieve the weapons. It is clear to me that one of you is obviously not a hundred percent forthcoming so I will give you one last chance to do so."

Jaune glanced to his left where Cardin and his team stood unfazed which caused him to frown. A normal person would at least be experiencing doubt or nervousness in the face of punishment but looking at Cardin's team, you would think that they were about to receive a medal instead. He could detect a trace of smugness on the boy's face disguised by a calm and stoic façade.

A person wouldn't be acting this way unless they had a trump card up their sleeves.

This thought did not sit well with the blonde.

"Very well, Mr. Arc, if you could please show us your scroll so that we may verify this message." Ozpin instructed.

Jaune took out his device and handed it to the Headmaster. He spared Cardin another glance yet the boy remained confident. He couldn't detect a hint of hesitation anywhere on his face.

Ozpin was scrolling through his inbox and Jaune had a sinking feeling that the professor was not going to find anything.

His suspicions were confirmed when Ozpin raised an eyebrow and turned to face him. "Mr. Arc, are you certain that you did in fact receive a message from Mr. Winchester earlier today telling you to meet at the Combat Arena this evening?"

Jaune answered with as much conviction as he could muster. "Yes."

Ozpin scrutinized him for a moment, looking for any sign of falsity. "Unfortunately for you Mr. Arc, your inbox contains no such message. It is hard to determine the validity of your statement due to this fact. We will continue to investigate on this matter but let's not point any fingers just yet."

The young knight clenched his fists. Cardin gave him a small look of triumph before schooling his features so that the professors wouldn't notice it.

_You sneaky bastards,_ Jaune thought as he wondered how they accomplished it. He had underestimated them and immediately assumed they wouldn't be capable of pulling something like this. Well, he wouldn't be making the same mistake again. Meanwhile, he failed to notice Russel exhaling in relief at the other end of the line.

It was then that Coco stepped forward. "I don't know if this would be of any value but we did see Cardin goading Jaune out in the hallway earlier after class. Fox and I were too far away to hear what was said but it was obvious that Winchester wanted to get some kind of reaction from him. Maybe that's where he told Arc where to meet and just sent another message to confirm it."

"An astute theory Ms. Adel," The Headmaster told her. "However, we still need the proper evidence to confirm this. But it is apparent that the two of you have been rather hostile to each other lately that it has reached the point where I must intervene before it can escalate. I've overlooked the cafeteria incident as nothing more than a petty squabble but now you both have crossed a line."

The man paused for a moment to not only give the two boys a meaningful look but the others as well. "At this school, we teach you the skills and knowledge needed to be able to defend the Kingdoms should the time come. You are all being trained to become the best Huntsmen you can be. Notice that the word Huntsmen is plural which means that none of you can do this alone. This is why we form teams to improve camaraderie and trust with one another so that we may not fight among ourselves but to fight against the real enemy."

Jaune and the rest of them couldn't help but take the Headmaster's words to heart at that moment. Even Cardin had the good graces to look slightly ashamed.

"Now, we must take steps to ensure that this never happens again." Ozpin continued. "That is why the five of you will be serving a week's worth of detention starting tomorrow. You will be separated for obvious reasons and your families will be notified of your actions tonight."

The blonde paled when he heard that last part. His grandpa would probably have a few things to say to him but his mother…Jaune shivered just thinking about it.

"Um, excuse me sir? What about us?" Ruby raised her hand tentatively and gestured to herself and Pyrrha.

The silver-haired man considered it for a moment. "For now, I will let you and Ms. Nikos off with a warning since the two of you only thought to do what was right at the time but we would encourage you to notify a staff member regarding situations like these."

The two girls nodded as Professor Ozpin returned his attention back to the two boys.

"Ms. Goodwitch will be the one to supervise your detentions and I hope we can avoid incidents like this in the future for I fear that the next offense will most likely lead to expulsion. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir." The two leaders said.

"Very well, you may go."

The students plus Ms. Goodwitch all headed toward the exit. Jaune was about to step onto the elevator when he heard the Headmaster say. "Oh and Mr. Arc, I would advise you not to limit yourself as you train for if you continue to hold yourself back, then you may never know just how high you can reach."

Jaune turned to see Ozpin giving him a knowing look just before the elevator doors closed.

"What did he mean by that?" Ruby asked, but Jaune didn't answer.

The young knight unconsciously flexed the fingers of his left hand. "I'm guessing that he wants me to do my best."

The professor did have a point. He used his left hand to fight in spars to see if he would be able to wield his sword just as well as his right. Being ambidextrous would give him a slight advantage if ever one of his hands were rendered useless but it would seem that he still had a long way to go before he mastered it. Perhaps he should focus on fighting at full capacity to know what to improve on.

The ride down was taken in silence and seemed to drag on longer than it really was. The two offenders tried ignoring each other for most of it but the leader of team CRDL kept giving Jaune venomous glances when Ms. Goodwitch's back was turned. He was grateful for the beeping sound that signaled the end of the descent.

Cardin shot him one last glare before following Glynda out the elevator with his team right behind him. Jaune didn't bother returning it because frankly, he didn't care anymore. Ozpin was right. The time here at Beacon shouldn't be used for making more enemies but forging alliances and friendships instead.

Speaking of which…

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked with a hint of concern as he fell into step beside her as the three friends headed back to their dorms.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just a little tired. On the other hand, I am not looking forward to those detentions."

"Well maybe if you would tell me these things in advance before you go and do something like this then I might have been able to talk you out of it."

"Yeah, sorry about that,"

Pyrrha just shook her head. "I'm your teammate Jaune. We have to look out for each other and watch each other's back. We can't do so if you decide to keep us out of the loop. I think Nora and Ren would feel the same way."

Jaune winced guiltily. "I know that now and I promise that I'll inform you if I ever run into this kind of situation again."

"Good." Pyrrha nodded.

"You know the same goes for team RWBY." Ruby chipped in. "We'll be there if you need us."

"Thanks. Likewise," Jaune smiled gratitude.

"Aw, isn't that sweet." Coco suddenly said from behind them. The three friends jumped at the sound of her voice. They had completely forgotten about the two older students and now the two stood behind them sporting matching amused grins. "Oh don't mind us. We're just heading back to our dorms. We'd hate to ruin such a touching moment."

* * *

Russel unceremoniously flopped onto his bed as soon as they arrived in their dorm room. He didn't even bother to freshen up or change out of his combat gear and just shoved his dual blades under his bed before getting into a comfortable position. His teammates opted to do the same thing except for Cardin, who decided to take a shower first.

_Good, the cold water might cool you off a bit._ He thought.

Today had been a very stressful day for him and there were plenty of close calls. It was only thanks to his quick thinking that they had managed to avoid getting expelled altogether.

Russel knew that they should have a back-up plan just in case the shit hit the fan, which it did, but fortunately for them, the young hacker thought of a way to decrease the amount of said shit to lessen the impact. The boy was aware of the fact that there was a high probability of getting caught fighting in the arena so there was no way to prevent that. However, he did manage to cover up their theft pretty well thanks to his programs.

He was able to convince his team to return the weapons to the locker rooms just before they went to the arena to confront Arc.

"Think about it, would you expect a thief to suddenly return something they stole?" He had told them. "Besides, all we want to do is lure Arc out right? We already accomplished that so I say we put the weapons back before the staff starts looking into this even closer. The two teams will never expect to find their items in the exact spot where they thought it was stolen. We just have to make sure that the theft can't be linked back to us and with no real evidence, their word won't be able to sway the professors."

And so by tomorrow morning, one of the two teams might find their stolen weapons back where it should be. Russel also took the liberty of hacking into the forge's logs and entered their names to register their gear for a maintenance check. As far as the teachers were concerned, they would think that the students just forgot and overreacted.

And of course, the piece de resistance of the whole operation had been his vanishing message act. He let Cardin use his personal scroll to send a message to Arc. He added a special virus attached to the message that would inevitably delete the message after two hours. Even if Jaune knew how to trace a message back to its source, which Russel doubted, the blonde would be shocked to find the sender located in Mistral thanks to a simple rerouting.

All in all, it could have been worse but Russel did groan at the thought of all those detentions. The next time his leader decided to pull a stunt like this, he would flip him the bird.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jonah Arc was sitting in the study with a frown on his face as he read the message on his scroll.

_White Fang are on the move. They've formed an alliance with Torchwick. They're targeting dust shops all around Vale. There's still no word from the mysterious leader of the operations. -T_

He reread the message a couple more times before deleting it. If what his informant said was true then things are about to get truly hectic soon and he had to take the necessary precautions before things started to spiral out of control. The White Fang are mobilizing with an infamous criminal as their ally and for some reason they were acquiring large amounts of Dust.

Jonah mulled things over before coming to a decision. Perhaps it was time to visit an old acquaintance. Surely Cassandra can handle the girls for a few days. It's been a while since he's been to Atlas. Hopefully the man he wanted to meet wasn't too busy to spare a few hours of his time.

After all, the man did run one of the largest Dust Companies in the four Kingdoms.

* * *

**Whew, it took some time but I did it. I kinda winged Fox's character a bit since I don't know whether he talks or not but to me he seems like one of those mysterious guys who only talks when he needs to. So yeah the duel did sort of end in a tie but Jaune was outnumbered and he didn't use his Semblance to the fullest so I hope you guys take that into consideration. Plus it would be lame if team CRDL all got expelled already. I got other plans for them. The next few chapters will kind of slow down and focus more on the normal school life of the students as I set up my big finale for volume 1. So as always, tell me what you think!**


	11. Casual Conversations

**Sorry it took so long to update but things have been hectic lately. Okay, so I received some mixed reviews about how the last chapter went down. Look guys, I know Cardin and his team are assholes but they're not pure evil. They are people who make mistakes just like everyone else. That's what I'm trying for in this story. Plus I have plans for them in the near future. AND more importantly, VOLUME 3 is finally here and I am seriously pumped! Now onto the chapter!**

* * *

Jaune had lost track of how many pots and pans he had scrubbed down two hours ago. He was on his second detention for the week and he'd been assigned kitchen duty for tonight. Cardin and his team were also serving detention tonight but the blonde had no idea what they were doing. The thought of them cleaning toilets cheered him up just a little bit as he set aside a freshly washed pan.

"Another one down," He mumbled, shoulders slumping a bit as he turned to another huge stack of pots. "Only a hundred left to go."

It was then that he heard the soft clicking of heels approaching him. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Jaune immediately got his ass back into gear and quickly grabbed another kitchen utensil before scrubbing it furiously. He did _not _want that woman to see him slacking off.

"I'm cleaning as fast as I can Miss Goodwitch, I swear!"

* * *

Ruby cleared her throat loudly and decided to get the ball rolling. "So, as you all may have guessed, I have gathered you here tonight because of two people: Jaune and Weiss. This whole situation between them has gone on long enough and as their respective friends and teammates, I believe it's our duty to put a stop to it."

Nora couldn't suppress her laugh. "You said duty."

Ren had to resist the urge to face-palm at that one.

"She's right." Yang said, throwing an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. "It's not as fun without you guys around."

The redhead smiled at the busty blonde. "We missed you too Yang."

"Aw, thanks." The girl said, pinching the Spartan's cheek affectionately. An amused Pyrrha only responded by rolling her eyes at the girls antics.

Blake gave no visible reaction since her eyes were still glued to the book she was reading but everyone knew she was listening for the most part.

"As I was saying," Ruby continued, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "We need to come up with a plan to get those two talking to each other again ASAP. Jaune's serving detention tonight and Weiss is in the library so this is our only chance to think of something. So on that note…. does anyone have any ideas?"

The six friends then began to formulate a plan on how to get Jaune and Weiss talking again. Nora pouted when they dismissed her suggestion of simply locking those two in a room until they see sense. Everybody else had different ideas from the rest and it seemed that each of them was convinced that their plan would be full proof. Ruby sighed to herself.

This could take a while.

* * *

"Had a long night?" Ren couldn't help but note the dark circles under Jaune's eyes as the two walked to the cafeteria for breakfast. Well, walked would be the closest thing his leader was doing since he looked dead on his feet.

"You have no idea." Jaune said before letting out a huge yawn. "I never knew the school had so many pots."

"Perhaps next time you could give us a little warning when you decide to pick a fight." Ren smirked.

The blonde sighed. "Really dude? You're still on about that? Come on, I said I was sorry that I didn't let you guys know."

Ren chuckled. "It will take a lot more than pancakes to make me forget Jaune."

The leader of team JNPR groaned and the raven-haired teen just shook his head in amusement. Ren and Nora found out about the incident the following morning and they were more than a bit put out about not being told. Pyrrha had told them that she had only found out about it when she noticed Jaune sneaking out that night. After the recount of the events, the team had a long discussion about trust where their leader kept on apologizing profusely.

Nora had been the most vocal about not being able to "clobber Cardin into the ground" and had pestered the blonde all day about it. Ren thought about taking pity on his friend and get Nora to stop bugging Jaune but decided against it due to the fact that he found the whole thing hilarious. Being the bubbly girl's best friend for years, he had been on the receiving end of her antics many times and it was nice to see someone else stuck in his position.

But alas, Jaune had also learned the secret to get into Nora's good graces fairly quickly by cooking her favorite breakfast.

Still, that didn't mean Ren and Pyrrha were going to let him off that easily.

The two students arrived at the cafeteria and fell in line to get their food. Once they were done, the two headed over to where their remaining teammates were already seated.

"You look like a zombie." Nora stated, pointing her fork at their leader.

"I feel like one." Jaune said tiredly, cutting into his eggs and hash browns. "To top it off I have three more days to go and I'm starting to fall behind on Professor Oobleck's essay."

Nora suddenly looked up from her plate. "We had an essay?"

Their leader decided to bring her up to date with the assignment when Pyrrha caught Ren's eye and discreetly gestured to the entrance where team RWBY had just appeared. The girls found a table not too far from theirs and they saw Ruby give them a thumbs-up behind her back.

The two teammates shared a small nod. Their first attempt to mend the rift between the heiress and the young knight was about to be underway.

"…so did you get all that Nora?" Jaune had been saying.

"I think so, but I might forget most of the stuff you just said since I was thinking about what kind of topping goes best with pancakes." Nora admitted before tapping her chin in serious thought. "I mean, blueberries are alright, I guess, and you can't go wrong with strawberries but chocolate chips are nice too."

"Well, I tried my best." The blonde shrugged. "Tap out Ren, your turn."

Pyrrha then cleared her throat to get his attention. "Jaune, could I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure."

"I need to talk Professor Port before class starts so could you return this to Blake for me?" Pyrrha said, holding out a book.

Jaune took it from her and scanned the title. "What do you need to talk about with Professor Port?"

The redhead hesitated a bit. "Oh you know, uh, his practical lesson is coming up so I wanted to be prepared for whatever Grimm he might select for us."

Ren could see that the girl was feeling guilty for misleading her partner and she couldn't meet his eyes because of it. Luckily, Jaune hasn't picked up on their friend's discomfort due to the fact that his attention was more focused on his bacon than anything else at the moment. However, he was starting to grow curious about Pyrrha's lie.

"Knowing him, it'll probably be a Boarbatusk again or maybe a small Beowolf." Jaune commented offhandedly. "Besides, doesn't he like to keep it a surprise until the last minute? So what's the point in asking him?"

The raven-haired boy felt a kick from under the table and saw Pyrrha giving him a look.

_Help me._ She seemed to be saying.

"You never know when the Professor might accidentally drop some hints." Ren said. "The man loves to talk about his exploits so it might not be hard to catch a glimpse of our future challenge in class."

He spoke in a way that was both calm and reasonable, the same way someone would present a common fact. Ren always strived to maintain a quiet disposition everywhere he went. He wasn't as loud but that didn't mean he was indifferent. He was the type of person who liked to get to the point and get things done as efficiently as possible.

This was the main reason why Jaune looked convinced by his answer even though he just pulled it out of his ass.

"I should get going then." Pyrrha then stood up and grabbed her bag. "Come on Nora."

"Aw, but I wanted seconds." The girl whined but nonetheless got up and followed her out of the cafeteria.

The two boys ate in silence afterward and once again, Jaune's appetite never failed to amaze. He almost inhaled his breakfast and finished his orange juice in one long swig.

"Excuse me." He mumbled after a hearty belch.

"Classes will start soon" Ren told him after finishing his own breakfast. "You should return that to Blake before we head out."

He nodded and picked up the book as the two stood from the table. Jaune spotted Ruby and her team and approached them. Ren purposely lagged behind him to see how things play out.

"Hi Jaune, Hey Ren," Ruby greeted them with barely disguised enthusiasm. "Fancy meeting you guys here!"

Everyone who was aware of the plan wanted to roll their eyes or smack their foreheads. Of course they would be here at the cafeteria eating their morning meals before class. All the students would be here.

_Smooth,_ Yang mouthed to her sister to which the girl responded with a mild glare before turning her attention back to Jaune.

"Uh, anyways, I just came by to return the book Pyrrha borrowed from Blake." He said, holding it out to the girl mentioned. "Here you go."

The raven-haired beauty spared him a quick glance before returning to her food. "That's not mine."

"Huh?"

"She's right, because it's mine." Weiss spoke up, frowning at him.

Their gazes met and a tense silence soon followed. The plan had been made to address the problem of the two not speaking to each other and they all came to the conclusion that Jaune and Weiss merely needed a reason to communicate. Ren knew the blonde well enough by now and he could say for certain his leader was not the type of person to hold a grudge. They have also been told by Ruby that Weiss was merely too proud to apologize first but did in fact feel guilty over the matter.

The six friends had then decided that all the two needed was a nudge in the right direction.

"Give me that," Weiss snatched the book out of his hands and abruptly resumed eating like nothing happened. "Next time, tell Pyrrha that she should personally return any items I lend her."

"What, so I'm your messenger now?" Jaune retorted. "Tell her yourself. Besides, I was only doing a favor."

"Seeing as you've already done it, I see no reason for you to stay." Weiss told him without looking in his general direction.

"No need to state the obvious." Jaune said, irritably. "I was just about to go anyway."

"Then go."

"Fine,"

"Fine,"

Ren heard a little groan of frustration from the leader of team RWBY.

"Whatever." Jaune muttered. "Come on Ren."

The two teammates exited the mess hall and set a brisk pace toward their next class. The raven-haired teen repressed an irritated exhale as they walked in silence. Honestly, the whole situation was just plain ridiculous. It was just a spat between two friends. He and Nora still argued several times but they always made up immediately afterwards.

It looks like they had to find another way to get their stubborn teammates to make amends.

"So, the book was Blake's, huh?" Jaune narrowed his eyes at his teammate after a few minutes.

Needless to say, Ren opted to walk a little faster.

* * *

Pyrrha was once again reminded of the fact that her partner did not take air travel well. He was standing next to her on the Bullhead, desperately trying to keep his lunch down. Beside her, Ren and Nora were also giving their leader sympathetic looks. Fortunately, their destination was only a few more minutes away.

She set her sights once more on the vast forest before them. Thick foliage of red leaves dominated the view as they flew over the Forest of Forever Fall. The color of the trees served as a contrast to the clear afternoon sky. Even from up here, she could see several leaves falling from the branches. Perhaps this was how it was named, she thought.

The plane began to decelerate and gradually descend into a large clearing. Jaune groaned as the Bullhead shuddered a bit on the way down. However, it only proved to be minor thing as they were able to land smoothly onto the forest floor.

Her partner was the first one off the aircraft the moment he felt it touch the ground. Everybody else calmly disembarked from the Bullhead to see the blonde bent on all floors kissing the ground.

"Land! Sweet land! " Jaune exclaimed gratefully.

"Mr. Arc, please get up and fall into step with the others." Ms. Goodwitch sternly called out.

"Yes Ma'am!"

Yang and Ruby snickered but instantly stopped when the professor's stern glance turned to them. The woman began to lead them deeper into the forest while explaining their task, which was to collect a jar's worth of tree sap each. She then instructed them to rendezvous back at a particular spot by four o'clock before she trudged ahead of them to secure a perimeter.

Team CRDL didn't even spare them a glance as they immediately headed off to another part of the forest leaving the rest of them standing there in awkward silence. Pyrrha could see Jaune pointedly looking anywhere but Weiss's general direction. Likewise, the heiress was trying to look casual by pretending to check her nails.

"I say we head over in that direction." Weiss stated and without waiting for a reply, she began to walk away.

Her teammates were left with no choice but to follow. They gave team JNPR apologetic looks before trailing behind the heiress.

"Come on, let's get that sap." Jaune spoke up and began to lead them in a random direction through the trees.

As much as she would have loved sightseeing around the forest with her team, Pyrrha had to remain vigilant. While the place was undoubtedly scenic, it was still the home of numerous Grimm. Even with Miss Goodwitch securing the area, she couldn't be everywhere at once. They had to stay sharp.

Nora was humming a happy tune as she strutted along, seemingly unfazed to the dangers that lurk. It was as if the girl was just out for a stroll through the park instead of a forest infested with monsters. The two females of the team had gotten to know one another a little better over the past few weeks and despite her carefree attitude, Pyrrha knew that she shouldn't be worried for her teammate. After all, this was the girl who rode on an Ursa for fun during initiation.

She couldn't help but laugh at the mere memory of it.

"What's up?" Jaune asked curiously.

She just shook her head, leaving the blonde boy to shrug and continue forward.

Their leader brought them to a halt when they reached a large stream that was a few feet wide. The water flowed from the East and curved along to the West. She peered into the clear surface to see a couple of fishes swimming along the gentle current.

"This is as good as any spot. Let's get to work." Jaune said as he approached a nearby tree and made a small hole into the tree using a knife to collect the sap. The three of them set to their tasks in silence.

As she poured the sticky liquid into the jar, Pyrrha glanced at her partner and thought about several events from the past two days.

The group's plans on getting Jaune and Weiss to mend their friendship kept ending in disaster. Whenever the two of them ended up face to face they would just start arguing for the simplest reasons. It was frustrating and it seemed like they had no intention of becoming friends again. What was worse was the fact that their bad mood was starting to affect the teams.

Pyrrha sighed as she thought about how things were progressing.

"Nora!" Ren's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

She turned to see a sheepish looking Nora with red tree sap smudged all over her mouth and an empty jar in her hands. Ren looked annoyed and swiped the jar from his partner to get some more sap. The bubbly girl merely wiped her mouth and was about to get to work when her eyes zeroed in on Jaune's nearly full jar.

As Nora silently approached their leader from behind, Pyrrha contemplated on whether or not to help him out with what she knew was about to happen. Then again, he was being a stubborn idiot lately and frankly, she getting tired of his attitude for the past two days. The red-head mentally cheered Nora on.

"No, Nora. Get your own sap!" Jaune told her as he tried to keep his jar as far away from the girl as possible.

"Aw, please? Just a sip, I promise." Nora tried for the puppy eyes and even from where Pyrrha was standing, she could see it was a damn good one.

She could see Jaune faltering a bit under Nora's pitiful stare. "Don't give me that look. I'm not giving you some."

Nora's lower lip started to tremble and the blonde tried averting his eyes. "The answer's still no."

"Pwetty pwease?"

Pyrrha could see her partner starting to lose the battle and he started to lower the jar to his side. Then, as fast a cobra, Nora made a grab for the container once he let his guard down. However, Jaune's reflexes were just as fast and he managed to keep the sweet substance away from the girl.

"Nice try, Nora." Jaune grinned.

The petite hammer wielder puffed up her cheeks in annoyance before stomping off. The blonde immediately faced the tree to resume his work and Pyrrha was about to do the same when…

_Splash!_

The redhead turned to find a doused Jaune gaping in surprise. Drops of water were now falling from his wet hair and his clothes weren't spared either. He was staring at a triumphant looking Nora refilling an empty jar with water from the nearby stream. It only took a moment to process what had happened.

"Did you just-?" Jaune was interrupted as he received another splash of water to the face.

"That's what you get for not sharing." Nora stuck out her tongue at the blonde.

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. Her partner's expression was too funny and she could not contain her mirth. However, her amusement was cut short as she felt herself get doused by cold water.

She whipped around to see Jaune smirking at her while he held a spare empty jar over her head. She narrowed her eyes at him as she stood to pick up her jar and dumped the contents of it onto the ground. She held his challenging gaze and walked over to the stream to calmly fill the container with water.

She adjusted her grip on the jar and Jaune merely raised his eyebrows.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked her. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes that she had not seen for the past few days and she had missed it dearly.

"Oh I'm sure."

"I'll only give you this one chance to surrender."

"Pass."

"No going back from this."

"Yep."

With that being said, she swung the jar with all her might and sent the water flying toward Jaune but unfortunately, he had the good sense to sidestep and the liquid sailed harmlessly passed him and hit the unsuspecting Ren right behind the blonde. The raven-haired boy abruptly stood from his spot and turned to face his teammates. He glared at each of them in turn and Pyrrha futilely hid the jar behind her back.

When his gaze turned to Nora, the girl didn't hesitate to point at the redhead. Jaune quickly followed suit while Pyrrha made a face at them both. What a bunch of tattle-tales.

The three teammates then noticed Ren slowly walking over to the stream with a clear empty container and it was then that Nora declared. "Water fight! Every man for himself!"

Thinking back on it, Pyrrha could say that she hadn't had this much fun in a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest…

"Let's play some catch Sky." Russel mockingly imitated Dove's voice before switching to Sky's. "Sure, here buddy go long!"

In front of team CRDL, not one but three Ursa were currently growling at them as they approached the four boys. The one in the lead was the largest among them, with massive spikes growing along its back. Behind the three monsters was a shattered jar filled with the sweet tree sap. The scent of the substance along with the sound of glass breaking must have attracted the creatures to their location.

"You guys are dumbasses." Russel told his two teammates. He nervously took up a combat position alongside his teammates.

Of all the Grimm that they could be up against right now and it had to be big ass Ursa. His weapons were barely going to be useful in this situation. Sure Russel could take on a few Beowolves and a Boarbatusk if need be but he won't even be able to get close to the monstrous bear they were facing. They already had thick skin to begin with which makes it difficult to pierce with his short blades.

Not to mention the fact that one of the Grimm looked like it got jacked up from eating too much tree sap and the creature now stood several times larger than his two lackeys.

"If we die, just for the record, I blame you two." Russel said.

"Bring it on Grizzly!" Cardin shouted at the Grimm. "I'll rip you apart!"

"On second thought, I blame you all."

Russel glanced at his partner who was hefting his mace threateningly as if daring the monsters to come any closer. He didn't notice it at first but Cardin had been acting different lately. For starters, it was as if someone had found the mute button because he had become rather quiet these past few days. Dove and Sky commented on it a few times but never really thought about it too much.

Another big change was the fact that he hadn't been bullying anyone ever since they all fought Arc that night. In fact, they rarely even saw their leader during their free periods. He just seemed to disappear doing who knows what. And whenever he got back to their rooms he just takes a quick shower and falls right to sleep.

He also developed this weird habit of absently touching his right cheek and scowling afterward.

Russel had a sneaking suspicion about what his partner had been doing but he could think about that later when he wasn't about to die.

Without wasting any more time, Cardin charged forward.

Obviously, he went for the biggest of the bunch. However, despite the creature's size, it could move fast. Cardin was just about to swing his mace but the Grimm beat him to it and delivered a powerful blow that sent the boy tumbling to the side. Undeterred, the boy quickly got back on his feet and went to attack again.

Meanwhile, Dove and Sky were keeping the two smaller Ursa at bay. Dove kept his distance by opting to shoot the Grimm and Sky used his long weapon to his advantage. It was sort of a stalemate but it won't be for long as he could feel the three of them slowly losing ground.

Thinking quickly, he took out his scroll and sent a distress signal. If it worked, then all of their classmates and Miss Goodwitch should be able to know their exact location and should be here within minutes. Hopefully they could survive that long before help arrives.

"Watch out!" Dove called out but it was a moment too late.

The Grimm had seen an opening as the boy was reloading his weapon and barreled into both Russel and Dove. The two boys were sent flying by the sheer force. The spiky haired teen landed a few feet away from the beast before rolling to a stop. He groaned as he tried to stand up but before he could regain his footing, the shadow of the Ursa loomed over him and Russel saw it raise one of its paws.

_Well, shit._

Not the most eloquent last thoughts but it was all he had. Russel raised his arms in a poor attempt to stop the blow he knew was coming and shut his eyes. He just sat there, waiting for the pain.

However, instead of pain, he felt something whoosh past him at incredible speeds and heard the sound of a sniper rifle being fired. He also heard the sound of tearing flesh and then a dull thud. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the decapitated head of the Ursa next to him.

"You okay?" His savior, which turned out to be Ruby asked.

He jumped to his feet and shook the smaller girl's hand profusely.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ruby awkwardly scratched her head. "Uh, no problem, I guess."

Russel looked around him and saw that the rest of the back-up had arrived. Weiss and Blake had just dispatched the second Ursa while Miss Goodwitch herself made short work of the largest one by merely flicking her riding crop and crushing the creature. Yang looked a little put out since she didn't get to do anything.

"Is anyone hurt?" The blonde professor inquired and gazed at the four boys to which they just shook their heads. "Good. Now then, in light of the situation-,"

Suddenly, team JNPR burst out from the trees in full battle mode expecting to find a large number of Grimm waiting for them. They stopped short as they saw everyone standing around the disintegrating bodies of the three monsters and the stares they were getting. The four of them quickly sheathed their weapons and tried to play off the fact that they came charging through the forest like maniacs.

Glynda cleared her throat and continued. "As I was saying, given the current situation, I'm afraid we will have to cut this trip short. I have already contacted our pilot and we shall be leaving immediately as soon as he lands."

Everyone followed her as she led the way back to the extraction point.

"Why are you guys wet?" Russel heard Yang ask someone behind him.

"Nora was hungry." Jaune replied.

"What?"

"I'll explain later."

* * *

A few hours later, Jaune stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed after a hot shower. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to crawl onto his bed and just sleep. Unfortunately, he had a scheduled detention tonight. Curse you past Jaune for depriving your current self of sleep!

He sighed and dragged his feet over to the door to get going. Only two more days and he would be a free man again. All he had to do was to get this done.

He opened the door and was about to step outside when all of a sudden…

"What the hell?"

"Grab him!" Someone ordered and he felt himself hoisted into the air as multiple hands seized his wrists, arms and ankles. He struggled to escape but there were too many of them. They carried him across the hall and into team RWBY's room where they unceremoniously dumped him on the floor.

"What is the meaning of this?" Weiss demanded as she stood from her desk and glared at everyone.

Blake locked the door while everybody else surrounded him and Weiss. Jaune got back on his feet to find most of them looking annoyed.

"All right you two, this stops now!" Yang stated. Her eyes had turned into crimson orbs and this was how Jaune knew that she was serious. "We've had enough!"

"I don't know what you're-," Weiss never got to finish what she was about to say as the busty blonde got up in her face.

"We both know what we're talking about and don't try to reason out of this one." Yang pointed at the two of them. "Well we're sick of it and we won't let you out of this room until one of you apologizes to each other."

"Why should I?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha came up to him and looked him sternly in the eye. "Jaune, even you have to admit that this has gone on long enough."

Ruby clasped her hands in front of her. "Please, please, please Weiss, just apologize already."

Jaune and Weiss remained silent for a few moments while their friends just looked expectant. They glanced at each other and both nodded at the same time.

"Ladies first, Schnee."

"Ready when you are, Arc."

The two of them stared at one another when little by little, their shoulders started to shake and their lips were starting to tremble. After a few seconds, the two couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing while their respective teammates gawked at them.

"You guys should see you faces." Jaune said as his laughter subsided.

Weiss wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You were right, they fell for it."

"Uh, what is happening here?" Ruby spoke up.

"Weiss came to talk to me during my detention two nights ago and we both agreed that we acted like dunces." Jaune explained.

The heiress rolled her eyes. "He then convinced me to take part in this ridiculous prank he thought of, which was completely childish and immature if you ask me."

"Come on, you laughed too." Jaune said. "So yeah, we wanted to see how long we could keep acting like snobs to each other and see what you guys would do."

Everyone processed what they had just been told and came to the conclusion that they had all been duped. After all the trouble they went through to try and reconcile the two friends when there was nothing to even worry about. They all shared a look and nodded.

"No hard feelings, right?" Jaune said completely unaware of the atmosphere amongst his friends.

"Of course not, Jauney." Yang said with a sickly sweet smile that sent chills down his spine.

Pyrrha approached him with the same smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We're happy that you two finally worked it out."

"I never knew you had a sense of humor Weiss." Ruby said in an overly friendly tone that did not bode well.

Slowly but surely, their six friends had surrounded them while Jaune and Weiss shared a nervous look.

"I sure hope the two of you aren't ticklish." Yang said and a predatory grin appeared on her face.

Jaune gulped.

"Get them!"

And just like that, team RWBY's room erupted into chaos as laughter and shrieks echoed all around the walls.

* * *

Two men sat in a luxurious office decorated with some of the most expensive furniture and artwork ever bought.

"I must admit, you sure know your brandy." Jonah Arc helped himself to another glass of the fine drink.

The other man who sat across from him chuckled. "What's the point of owning one of the largest companies if you don't spoil yourself every now and again?"

"That is true." The old man conceded as he smacked his lips in appreciation.

"I believe that we are getting off topic here." The man who sat behind the desk said. "While I fully understand the merits of your idea, I simply cannot withhold that much Dust."

"Have I not gotten through to your thick skull?" Jonah demanded. "Have I been speaking of nonsense for the past few hours that I've been here?"

"The Board of Directors will never allow it." The man reasoned. "Even if I did manage to convince them, it would take a month for the operation to take effect and by then it would probably be too late."

The old man couldn't believe what he was hearing. "By the gods, since when have you cared about what other people thought? As I recall, you and Jason were always the ones who stood for what you believed was right no matter what anyone else said."

The white-haired man who sat across from him sighed ruefully. "That was a long time ago. Things change."

"And not always for the better, it would seem." Jonah remarked taking another drink of brandy.

Silas Schnee pinched the bridge of his nose and rose from his seat to stare out of the large window behind him. He was a tall yet slim man that had more of a wiry build. His hair was slicked back and he wore a white suit that must have cost a large amount of money. For a man who was only forty years of age, he certainly looked much older due to his slacking shoulders.

"I must face reality, Jonah." He said without turning to look at the man. "I cannot be who I was before. No matter how much I want to return to the days of my youth as a Huntsman, I have to keep my mind in the present. Ever since I inherited my father's company, I have barely managed to keep it afloat all these years. Those blasted White Fang have decided to wage war on our family and not only that, but I also have many enemies that I have to be wary off."

"I understand." Jonah said earnestly, although he didn't like it.

Silas shook his head. "No, I don't think you do. As Huntsman, we merely have to locate the target and eliminate them whether they are Grimm or criminals. Now, I have to constantly watch over my shoulder as I have no idea who could be threats. They all smile and offer sweet words but I can never know who are the honest ones and those who have a secret agenda. I cannot afford any mistakes or else it will not just be me who pays the price."

The two men lapsed into a short silence after that as Jonah took a moment to let it all sink in.

Silas turned to face him as heard the old man get up from his seat.

"I thank you for your time Mr. Schnee." Jonah said, sounding disappointed. "I apologize if I was an inconvenience. It appears that I was mistaken in coming here tonight. The man I came to see has given up and I'm afraid that I can't help him."

Jonah headed for the door but stopped as he gave the man a last look over his shoulder. "Your daughter shall make a fine Huntress."

As the Arc slowly closed the door to the office, he never caught sight of Silas holding up a small picture frame from his desk with fondness nor did he hear his words.

"I know she will."

* * *

In another part of Atlas sat one of the most well guarded prisons in all of the four kingdoms. Maintained and supervised by none other than General Ironwood himself. It housed some of the most notorious individuals in all of Remnant. It sported some of the latest technology thanks to the Schnee Dust Company and was virtually inescapable.

The structure itself was located deep underground and therefore only had one exit and one entrance that led to the surface. Security cameras and motion detectors littered the hallways and rooms. The new and improved Atlesian knights patrolled every hour of everyday along with a few personnel. If anyone so much as picked their nose, security would know about it.

Furthermore, each prisoner was equipped with a shock collar that doubled as a tracker. If anyone stepped foot outside of their cells, the collars would send more than a thousand volts of electricity into the prisoners system and even if they managed to survive that, the Atlesian knights and other defense measures would be on them in mere seconds.

In the deepest level of the prison sat a man that was humming a happy tune as he patiently waited for feeding time. As if right on cue, a slot to his cell door opened and a man inserted a tray of food through it.

"Lunch time, dirt bag," The guard on the other side of the door said.

The man hopped out of bed and approached the slot.

"Long time no see. How've you been Bob?" The prisoner asked cordially.

The guard sighed. "My name's not Bob and you better shut up before I ask them to shock you again."

The prisoner held his hands up in surrender. "No need to get angry. I was just greeting an old friend. What happened to courtesy nowadays? Has that changed over the five years since I've been here?"

"I'm not your friend now back away from the doors and eat your damn lunch!" The guard barked and slammed the tray through, spilling the contents all over the floor.

"Now that wasn't very nice." The prisoner commented, feigning hurt.

"Like I give a rat's ass about your feelings," "Bob" said with contempt. "Hope you like mystery meat."

The guard heard the man on the other side chuckle. "One of these days Bob, I'm going to have fun teaching you some manners."

Bob wasn't fazed one bit by the threat. "Oh I'm real scared. I'm about to shit my pants."

The guard snorted before closing the slot and walking off to fulfill his other duties, leaving the prisoner alone. The prisoner crouched down to inspect his spilled lunch and grinned when he picked something up from the mess on the floor.

"The thing about mystery meat," he spoke quietly to himself. "You never know what's inside."

He held up the small object to his eyes. It was a small red capsule. Someone must have slipped it into the sludge that they called food down here. Smiling to himself, he discretely tucked the small pill under his pillow and made sure that the cameras in his room didn't see it. He had already memorized where each of them was placed and found a blind spot with the positioning of the devices.

He climbed back onto his small cot and got into a comfortable position before resuming to hum like he didn't have a care in the world. All he had to do now was to wait for the perfect moment.

* * *

Russel frantically ran around the dorm room opening multiple desks and drawers before dashing over somewhere else. His teammates were watching him zoom around the room looking for something.

"No, no, no, no." He mustered as he scanned the contents of another drawer before slamming it shut. "Where is it?"

"Dude, what are you so worried about?" Sky ventured to ask.

He was met with a nervous look and Russel hesitated for a bit before answering.

"My personal scroll's missing."

* * *

**And that's a wrap for today. Hope you guys like it. I decided to just have a little fun with this chapter and I plan to do the same with some others as I set up what I have planned. Just so you guys know, I won't be changing anything that I've written just because of the new episodes coming out (Which are freaking awesome by the way) like with Weiss's dad. If he's different in cannon then it will stay that way BUT I will try to incorporate characters who I feel could make the story progress even further like Qrow and Winter as they reveal them in the show. **

**Also, I'm not making any promises about my next update because College is taking its toll on me. I plan to update again hopefully before the Christmas holidays but again no promises.**

**So as always review and tell me what you guys think!**


	12. A Man's Heart

**Okay, so I figured that this chapter was a bit overdue and I hope you guys enjoy. Sorry for the delay. A crap ton of stuff happened to me and I just recently got caught up with the last two episodes of RWBY. I have to say, damn things are getting real, ESPECIALLY, chapter 9. I had no words for what went down on that episode. I've rambled enough for now so back to the story. I don't own RWBY blah, blah, blah.**

* * *

The prisoner lay back on the cot with his arms folded behind his head as he wiggled into a more comfortable position. He let out a bored sigh while he let his mind wander because there was not much else to do but to try and relax in this cramped cell of his. He turned to look at a spot where he knew a camera was placed and showed whoever was monitoring him the middle finger, choosing to antagonize the person to relieve his boredom somewhat.

In response, his collar activated and sent a current of electricity running through his body for a second. He jerked from the sudden jolt and then raised an eyebrow at the camera.

_Someone's petty today. Probably Bob._

He then sat up and stared at his cell door expectantly.

"In three…two…one…" He counted down and a food tray immediately slid through the slot as soon as he finished. Fortunately, the guard assigned to deliver his food today was less rude than Bob and managed to avoid spilling his lunch all over the floor.

He picked up his food tray and scanned the contents of his meal. Inside the small plastic bowl was some kind of chowder. A piece of bread and an apple was also included. He picked up his plastic spoon and was about to dig in when he spotted something floating on top of the soup.

"That was fast." He said to himself.

It had only been a week since he had found that red pill. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was notified but he didn't think it would be this soon. Either something had happened or she was getting really impatient. He assumed it was the latter because that woman never did like to be kept waiting.

He laughed at the mere thought of her smoldering glare whenever she was in a bad mood.

He turned his attention back on his food and played with the small orange leaf, one that could only be found during autumn, by swirling it around in the bowl. It was somewhat of an inside joke between them. Her timing couldn't have been better. Sitting on his ass and doing nothing for the past five years has lost its charm.

Perhaps it was high time for him to get some fresh air.

* * *

"In other news, Dust prices have increased yet again for the second time this week as many shopkeepers have yet to receive their ordered shipments. The SDC has refused to give a statement regarding the shortages and many are beginning to speculate the involvement of the White Fang…."

Jonah lowered the volume of the screen as his scroll started beeping. He picked up the device and accepted the call.

"I don't know what you're planning but I hope this works." Silas Schnee said before he hung up.

Sighing, he put the scroll down and gazed down at his desk where a freshly arranged chess board was placed. He knew that Silas was taking a big risk in going along with his idea and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. Trouble was brewing and they can't just wait for it to happen. They must act before it was too late.

His informant was keeping him up to date on the White Fang's movements and in doing so, keeping tabs on Torchwick as well. There was still no word from the mysterious associate of his but Jonah did know that Adam Taurus, one of the leading members of the Faunus organization, was taking care of important business elsewhere at the moment. According to him, Roman was starting to get frustrated by the lack of progress with their operations.

Jonah allowed himself a small smirk of satisfaction as the plan seemed to be working. He picked up a white pawn and moved it two spaces forward on the board. The first move has been made and now the real game begins.

_I may be old, but I still got some fight left to give._

* * *

"Do it Jaune!" Yang urged.

"Yeah, destroy her!" Nora said.

"NOOO! Have mercy!"

Jaune was in a tight position. He had to make an important choice that would determine his future. Could he do it? Could he really condemn an innocent person to such a fate? What kind of person did that make him? He couldn't remember feeling so ashamed but there was no other option.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." The blonde said with as much regret as he could muster. He plucked a plus four UNO card from his hand and placed it on top of the pile. There were two other similar cards below it.

Ruby's head hit the table and she moaned. "You're all horrible people!"

Yang shrugged. "Sorry sis, hate the game not the player."

"I call for a rematch!" Ruby demanded tossing her remaining cards on the table.

"But I'm winning!" Nora said as she held up only two cards left.

Weiss, who was sitting next to Ruby, rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're getting all emotional over a card game. It's ridiculous."

"I think it looks fun." Pyrrha said as she glanced over Jaune's shoulder to see his hand.

The two teams were currently enjoying free period at the cafeteria. They only had an hour to kill before heading off to another class. It would take too much time to head back to the recreational room at the dorms and no one wanted to spend their free time in the library except maybe Blake and Weiss. Thankfully, they mostly had the place to themselves since it wasn't dinner yet and everyone else still had classes for the day.

"Well this "game" as you put it has single-handedly destroyed countless friendships over the years." Jaune informed the heiress. "Plus it takes a certain amount of skill to play."

Yang snorted as she started reshuffling the cards. "So says the guy who only won a single game out of six rounds."

"Shut up, who asked you?" Jaune retorted.

"I for one think that you're all just wasting valuable time." Weiss huffed. "Need I remind you that our examinations are only two weeks away?"

"I've already studied." Ren commented off-handedly.

"Same." Blake said as she flipped to the next page of her novel.

Weiss didn't even need to look at Pyrrha for confirmation since the two of them had the highest class standings out of all of the students of their year. The heiress turned her gaze on the four remaining teens with her arms crossed.

"Well?" She asked expectantly.

"In my defense, all of my scores are above average." Jaune said. He paused for a moment before adding. "Okay, scratch that, mostly above average."

Pyrrha frowned in confusion. "What happened?"

The blonde knight sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, see about that… remember when I told you guys I had to go to the library to catch up on those essays for Dr. Oobleck? I may or may not have fallen asleep and didn't get to finish them…"

"So that's why you didn't make us pancakes that day!" Nora snapped her fingers in realization.

The rest of team JNPR shared an amused look among themselves. Nora had dubbed Wednesdays as their weekly pancake breakfast day ever since she had tasted Jaune's recipe for them. The bubbly girl claimed that it was one of the fluffiest she'd tasted and she had been quite cranky when he had skipped out last week. He was no slouch in the kitchen thanks to his mother and truth be told, he found cooking to be rather enjoyable so he learned a thing or two to at least be adequate.

Slamming her hands on the table, Weiss abruptly stood from her seat. "This is unacceptable! I won't tolerate this any longer Jaune."

She marched down the table and swiftly grabbed hold of one of the boy's ears and started to pull him along. Needless to say, the leader of team JNPR did not go quietly.

"Ow! That's my ear woman! I only have two of those!" Jaune protested as he struggled in vain to escape the heiress's iron grip. "Okay seriously, let go!"

"Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"To the library so that we can get this idiot's homework done." Weiss called out over her shoulder. "I refuse to be seen hanging around people who are not at least academically competent."

"Guys, help!" Jaune cried out one last time before they exited the cafeteria.

As everyone merely shrugged at the poor boy's predicament, a particular redhead stared wistfully at the exit where her leader had been dragged off, silently wishing that she had been the one to help him study. Pyrrha let out a small dejected sigh as she turned back to watch her friends play cards, though she had lost a considerable amount of interest in the game.

She never noticed that her sudden change of mood, however slight it was, did not escape the attention of Yang. The blonde bombshell had seen the disappointed look on the girl's face as soon as Jaune had left and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Blake asked a bit warily when she saw the Cheshire grin on her partner's face.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wouldn't want someone to _crush _my train of thought." She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

The raven-haired girl could only stare blankly at her partner. Was that supposed to mean something? It sounded as if she had just said one of her lame puns but Blake had no clue about what it was. Plus, the fact that she could practically see Yang's mind running a mile per minute made her feel pity for someone for an unknown reason. She decided not to worry too much about it and returned to her steamy romance novel. It was getting to the good part.

* * *

The final class of the day had just ended and Pyrrha found herself walking back to the dorms at a leisurely pace. She began to plan on what textbook she should read once she got back to her room in order to prepare for upcoming examinations. It was a habit that she had picked up so that she would never fall behind with her studies but today she didn't really feel like reviewing past topics in class.

Looking around, she spotted several students walking along the hall. The majority of them had books and notes in their hands while they headed to their respective destinations. She noticed an older couple, probably second years, strolling in front of her. The girl had her hand intertwined with her boyfriend's and was laughing over something he had just said. She playfully bumped her shoulder to his before he started up another conversation.

Pyrrha watched them head in the direction of the library while her feet carried her to the dorms. She tried to squash down the small feeling of envy that she felt at the display of affection and instead tried to envision herself in that particular scenario. It came as no surprise that her mind conjured up an image of her and Jaune smiling and holding hands as if they had just come back from a wonderful afternoon. They had probably just watched the new Spruce Willis movie he had been talking about and were headed back to their room where he gently cupped her cheek and slowly leaned down to…

The young Spartan flushed as she realized where her thoughts were leading.

Lately, Pyrrha has been trying to muster up the courage to confess her growing affection for her partner but he was rather preoccupied lately.

_Especially with Weiss, _a small bitter voice in her mind spoke.

She wanted to ignore it but the small voice of doubt refused to remain silent. The heiress has been spending a lot of time with Jaune ever since they settled their petty dispute and Pyrrha couldn't help noticing how the girl chose to sit next to the blonde during classes and meals or the fact that she would initiate physical contact with him whenever she could. Granted that most of those contacts included thumping him on the back of the head, the redhead was still uncomfortable with how close the two were becoming.

She rounded the next corner and then unexpectedly bumped into someone.

"Well if it isn't the girl I wanted to see." Yang grinned.

"Hello Yang, what's –whoa!" Whatever Pyrrha was about to say was cut off as she found herself being forcefully dragged along by the busty blonde.

They stopped in front of an empty classroom and the redhead found herself being shoved inside with Yang following behind her.

"Alright, spill it." Yang said without preamble. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Pyrrha nervous.

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha said, confused.

Yang crossed her arms under her impressive bust. "Oh come on Pyrrha, no need to be shy. You can tell me."

Pyrrha could only blink at the girl as she had no idea what Yang wanted.

"Huh?"

The fiery brawler adopted a knowing smirk. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to confess? Like for example…your crush on a certain blonde for instance?"

Pyrrha tried really hard not to show any outward feelings of surprise even though she was screaming inside. How did Yang possibly know about that? She hadn't told anyone about how she felt about Jaune and yet someone still found out. And worst of all, that someone was Yang of all people. Don't get her wrong, Pyrrha liked the girl because she was very easygoing and fun to be around but she was also known for her brash and boisterous nature. It was then that she came to a sudden realization.

If Yang knew, did anyone else know?

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Yang continued to smirk as she leaned on a nearby desk.

Maybe if she continued to play ignorant then the blonde girl might let this slide.

"Oh, you think I have a crush on Jaune? That's ridiculous." Pyrrha said as casually as she could even though it kind of hurt. "He and I are just close friends, that's all."

Yang's grin widened when she heard that. "You know, I never said it was Jaune."

_Damn it._

"Well I just assumed that was what you were implying because…" Pyrrha trailed off.

"Why would you assume that?" Yang asked innocently. She paused for a moment before sighing. "Well okay then, since you obviously don't have any interest in him, I'll go see if I can take Jaune out for a date."

"NO!" Pyrrha blurted out before covering her mouth with both hands. Yang raised her eyebrows in amusement at her outburst and the redhead's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Please don't tell anyone."

She felt the girl drape an arm over her shoulder. "Relax Pyrrha, I was just playing. No worries, my lips are sealed."

"Thanks." She smiled at the blonde gratefully.

"So…..Vomit boy huh?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I've got to say, you could do way worse."

"I know." Pyrrha fully agreed.

"You told him yet?" Yang asked. "Judging from the look on your face, I'm guessing you haven't."

The girl gave out a glum sigh before sitting on one of the desks. "I want to but I'm just…..afraid. What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Hey come on, don't be like that." Yang said, hopping on to sit beside her. "You'll never know unless you try, right? Besides, even if things between you two don't work out the way you want he'll still be your friend. Not to mention the fact that you have a secret weapon."

"What secret weapon?" Pyrrha asked in curiosity.

The blonde brawler then hopped off the desk and spread her arms out in a "Ta-da!" gesture.

"You're my secret weapon?"

Yang made a rather dramatic show of flipping her hair. "I've been around the block before and dated a few guys here and there but nothing serious. I could show you a thing or two about how to catch a man's attention. Interested?"

Pyrrha bit her lip in thought. She didn't doubt the fact that Yang had more than sufficient experience in dealing with the opposite sex. How could any boy even resist her allure given that the blonde had a body most women would kill for and the good looks to match? Most of all, people weren't afraid to approach her due to her fun-loving personality.

_People don't put her on a pedestal._

She was confident enough to know that she was considered to be attractive in the eyes of many but her fame and reputation acted like a barrier that allowed no one to pass. Boy's complimented her but never pursued her romantically. Perhaps they thought that they could never measure up or that they would be overshadowed by her. Their precious egos couldn't allow the fact that a woman had greater skills as a warrior than they did.

But Jaune was different. He respected her prowess and he didn't let that affect his friendship with her despite that he has never beaten her in any of their sparring matches. He treated her like an equal which was all she ever wanted from anyone.

Which is why she was willing to do whatever it took to get him to notice her as more than just a friend.

She took a deep breath and came to a decision. "What did you have in mind?"

"That's the spirit!" Yang said, and gave her an enthusiastic pat on the back. "By the time we're through, he'll be eating out of the palm of your hand!"

* * *

"That's weird." Jaune said to himself. He checked his scroll for the time. "Pyrrha's usually on time."

He stood in the middle of the combat arena where he and his partner were supposed to have another sparring session. The two of them often sparred at least twice every week. The blonde felt as if he had been slacking off a bit as of late and was determined to fix that today. Those detentions had left him behind on his schoolwork which in turn cost him time to train or relax. Thankfully, Weiss has been gracious enough to help him, although she could be a bit overbearing about it most of the time.

Now that he thought about, the heiress has been acting strange lately. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was but she seemed more…relaxed around the rest of them. She even took to addressing him by his first name now which she rarely did in the past. It was usually just Arc or Dolt.

He didn't know what was going on with her but she was much easier to be around than before.

He checked his scroll again and saw that another ten minutes had elapsed and yet Pyrrha still hasn't arrived. Putting the scroll back in his pocket, he decided to have a little warm-up. He unsheathed Excalibur and quickly went into some of the basic sword movements he had practiced with his grandfather countless times before. He executed a few cuts and parries as if he were facing a phantom swordsman.

In the middle of his routine, Jaune switched sword hands and continued to throw around thrusts and strikes. His attempts with his left hand were improving but were still not up to par in his opinion. He took Professor Ozpin's advice and focused more on developing his overall abilities in combat by going all out during matches. He used the time in Miss Goodwitch's class to see how he measured up against everyone else. Currently, he was just below Blake in the class rankings at fifth place.

In fact, the only people who offered any real challenge were team RWBY and the members of his own team.

Jaune tried to do a quick parry followed by an immediate cut but his left hand was still not as coordinated as his right and the transition into the move was a bit clumsy. He suppressed the mild annoyance he felt with a sigh. One day, he was going to be able to properly wield a sword in both hands but not today.

The sound of footsteps approached him and he sheathed his sword before turning to face her.

"Hey Pyrrha, what took you so…..long?" Jaune's greeting trailed off a bit as soon as he saw his partner. He couldn't help but feel slack-jawed by the sight.

Pyrrha fidgeted a bit and she couldn't seem to meet his gaze. The red-head had apparently decided to dress differently for their sparring session today. She had ditched her regular armor for a rather tight sport's tank top that left her well toned belly exposed and a pair of black cycling shorts that displayed her long creamy legs. Also, she wasn't carrying her weapons with her, which seemed odd.

"S-sorry I'm late." Pyrrha said, still not quite looking him in the eyes. "I decided to change into something more comfortable."

Jaune shook his head to stop himself from gaping like an idiot.

"Uh sure, it's no problem." Jaune said after an uncomfortable silence. He was desperately struggling so as not to let his eyes wander over anything else besides her face "So should we get started?"

Pyrrha bit her lip nervously before speaking up. "Actually Jaune, I thought that maybe we could do something different today."

She began to approach him slowly and he gulped. "What did you have in mind?"

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment and glanced back at the entrance for a split second where Jaune could've sworn he saw a hint of yellow disappear. She took a deep breath and locked a determined gaze on him.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to practice some hand to hand combat." Pyrrha said. "We can never predict what will happen to us if we ever find ourselves without our weapons and it would be prudent to be prepared just in case."

"Fair enough," Jaune conceded. It was a valid point and he had heard more or less the same reasoning from his grandfather a couple of times. "Alright, give me a second."

He went over to the bleachers and quickly removed his weapon and armor. He also took off his jacket which would only restrict his movements and also make him sweat faster if he wore it during the match.

"Alright so what are the rules?" Jaune asked once he was back in the arena. He began to do some light stretches to loosen up.

His partner's earlier anxiety had vanished and was replaced by her usual confidence whenever she was about to battle.

"The first person to make his opponent yield will be the victor." She declared. "Also, no using our Semblance."

Jaune nodded and assumed a fighting stance while Pyrrha did the same. In all of their sparring matches, he had never been able to beat her even once which ticked him off a bit. She was truly remarkable in battle and she never ceased to impress him every time. She was so swift and agile that he had a hard time keeping up and her Semblance made things even harder. Even on his best days, he could never win against her.

That fact alone should have angered him or even discouraged him but instead it served to push him. Sure he couldn't deny the frustration he felt whenever he lost. However, he never harbored any anger or resentment towards his partner. She was a great fighter, simple as that.

_No matter how good you are, there will always be someone better. _His grandfather had told him once. It was to remind him of the dangers of arrogance. Too much of it and a person could blind himself to the reality of what was in front of him. A true Huntsman never stopped trying to improve. It was a lesson he took to heart.

It was a lesson he wished to demonstrate right now.

Steeling himself, he adjusted his footing ever so slightly and then he took off charging at Pyrrha. His partner stood there waiting for him. He cleared the gap between them in record time and threw a jab to her left which she easily blocked and followed it quickly with a roundhouse kick aimed at her right. She dodged by taking a step back and pushed forward with her own barrage of punches.

He was able to block most of them but a few hit their marks. She aimed an uppercut at him but Jaune saw it coming and was able to grab her wrist and twist it behind her back while his other arm encircled her neck in a submission hold.

"Give up?" Jaune asked with a small grin.

Pyrrha grinned back at him. In an unexpected move, she bent her knees and pushed off the ground to flip over behind him. He lost his grip on her and he was caught slightly off balance. Before he could turn around, his partner had caught him in one of her own holds.

"You wish." She whispered into his ear. He tried to suppress the shiver that coursed through him when she did that. It was a strange yet…pleasant feeling that he couldn't describe.

And so they continued like that for over an hour, grappling and wrestling as they tried to make the other submit. They were both grinning as the sweat began to pour from their faces but neither of them was willing to give up just yet. Both of them were pretty stubborn when they wanted to be and they obviously didn't want to lose. However, after another couple of minutes, the two found themselves on the floor with Jaune on top and Pyrrha pinned on the floor.

"Yield." Jaune panted as he held Pyrrha's hands over her head.

She let out a small giggle. "Alright, Jaune, you win."

"So that's one for me and Pyrrha Nikos with thirty two." Jaune tallied. "That hardly seems fair to me."

"You'll catch up eventually." She told him with a slight smirk.

He narrowed his eyes. "I think we should do this more often if it means that I could beat you."

The two of them shared a laugh as Jaune released her arms and it was in that moment that he noticed something.

Pyrrha's face was flushed from the intense sparring match, giving her cheeks a rosy glow and once again Jaune couldn't help but think that she looked amazing when she smiled like that.

_I should make her laugh more often._

It was when their laughter began to fade that Jaune remembered the fact that the two of them were still pressed up tightly on the floor. The position they were in could be considered extremely intimate and his mind recalled the image of what she was currently wearing. He spaced out for a bit when hormones forced him to replay earlier when they grappled in different kinds of positions. As his brain started to reboot, it made him aware of something incredibly soft pushing on his chest…

"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice snapped him out of his perverted trance. He gave a startled yelp before immediately jumping to his feet.

He cleared his throat and could only hope that his face wasn't as red as it felt. "We should probably head back to the dorms."

He helped her back on her feet and glancing at her face, she looked rather disappointed about something. Before he could even ponder on it, the small frown instantly vanished making him wonder if he only imagined it. Pyrrha only nodded and began to head toward the exit without another word, leaving a very confused Jaune scratching his head.

* * *

Meanwhile, hidden among the bleachers was a frustrated Yang.

"Oh come on! That should have at least tipped him off that something was going on!" Yang ranted in frustration even though no one was there to hear it. "Damn it Jaune, that girl is head over heels for you!"

She stomped out of the combat arena and began to plot, oh sorry, "plan" another attempt to get the blonde moron to see how much Pyrrha liked him. Yang Xiao Long made a promise and by Oum she was going to keep it!

* * *

"Lesson one, always say please when you want something." The man said in a tone as if he was speaking to a toddler. "I told you that I'd teach you manners one day Bob."

He pressed his thumb hard on the guard's ribcage, effectively breaking another bone. The man grunted in pain as a sickening crack was heard.

Roger, the person he always referred to as Bob, doubled over, clutching his chest as he tried to put some distance between them. Silly Bob, where was he going to go? They were in a damn prison with a shit ton of dirt and rocks separating them from the surface. To top it off, they were in a hallway with one elevator as the only exit point.

A loud security alarm could be heard echoing around the empty hallway. Dead bodies of a few security guards and a Hunter littered the floor along with a bunch of destroyed Atlesian Knights. Reinforcements should be arriving soon, about five minutes to be exact, but he didn't care.

Bob shifted his weight off his injured leg and hobbled over to him with his fist cocked back as if he was going to throw a punch.

Persistent little bastard, wasn't he?

"You know, it was fun for the first few minutes but this is just turning sad." The prisoner sighed. "Even with the Hunter, you guys couldn't beat me."

He caught Bob's weak punch and threw a vicious roundhouse kick that drove the man into the wall, making the whole place shake. The prisoner dusted himself off as a bit of debris started to fall from the ceiling. He grabbed the guard by the neck and lifted him off the ground, slowly cutting off his air supply.

"Man, you Atlas guys sure are tough." The man praised as Bob struggled to breathe. "Even if you didn't graduate as Hunters, Ironwood still makes sure you unlock your Aura so that you could last longer in a fight. Not that it helped you much, but still pretty useful. Unfortunately for you, my reserves are much larger and more potent."

Bob made some gurgling noises so he slackened his grip a bit. "This is lesson number two. Always listen to what the other person has to say before speaking. Now I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't let you say your piece so go ahead Bob, it's your turn."

Instead of speaking, the guard spit a wad of blood on his face. "Go to hell."

The prisoner calmly wiped the metallic smelling substance off with his other sleeve. He then wagged his finger at the guard in a scolding manner.

"Now that was rude. You obviously haven't been paying attention." The prisoner had a malignant glint in his eyes. "Let me correct that."

He straightened his fingers and willed a tiny fraction of his Aura to cover his hand. Due to the years spent in confinement where he wore collars that blocked the connection to his Aura, it took a few moments for him to remember the feeling of having and using it again. He felt no hesitation or remorse when he plunged his hand straight into Bob's chest with a squelching sound. The prisoner wrapped his fingers around something soft and beating while Bob could only stare at the point where he was stabbed in horror and disbelief.

"People say that the quickest way to a man's heart is through the stomach." The prisoner said in a casual tone. "Whoever said that was a fucking idiot."

Getting a firm grip on the fleshy organ, he then proceeded to rip it out from the guard's chest. He was successful in extracting the heart from the body in a shower of blood as the veins and vessels were severed. Bob went limp and he let the man drop into a heap on the ground.

"Okay, went a little too far with that one." He muttered to himself as he tried to shake off the blood splattered all over him.

So far, things have been going remarkably well. He had taken the red capsule as he was eating dinner and the effect was almost instantaneous. The drug that he had ingested slowed his heart rate to one beat per minute, allowing him to appear as if he had died. A group consisting of a medical team and a squad of guards came rushing and examined his still form. It was then that they took off his collar as they tried to determine the cause of his "death".

That was the biggest mistake they made.

Once his collar was removed, his Aura came flooding back to him in waves and immediately restarted his heart. The doctor who was taking a sample of his blood never even got a chance to cry out in alarm as the prisoner stole the needle from him and stabbed it through his neck. The others soon followed.

Behind him, a small ding signaled the arrival of the elevator.

_This should be fun._

The doors slid open and out stepped three uniformed Huntsmen and two androids. He knew they were Hunters given that the weapons they carried were not the standard Atlas-issued tech. They all pointed their weapons at him and he merely smirked at them.

"Prisoner X24, designated Gray Steel, put your hands behind your head and get down on the ground." One of them barked at him. "We are authorized to use deadly force. If you make any unnecessary moves, we will kill you."

"You're welcome to try." The man now identified as Gray said. "But I'm kind of in the middle of escaping so if you would please be so kind so as to move out of my way, I would very much appreciate it."

The sound of a gunshot rang out and Gray tilted his head to the side to avoid the bullet that flew past him. The Huntsman on the left rushed forward and hefted his weapon which was some kind of axe. He sidestepped the Hunter's swing and grabbed the man's wrist before unleashing a ferocious onslaught of strikes with his fists and feet. A powerful jab to the face followed by a chop to the neck and an elbow to the side. He finished with a powerful thrust kick to the chest that depleted the Hunter's Aura and shattered his sternum.

The Hunter coughed out a wad of blood before collapsing on the floor.

All of this happened so fast that the other two could barely keep up with what happened.

"I don't have time for this." Gray said and raised his hand towards the remaining two Hunters who tensed.

Suddenly, as if a great weight had been placed on their shoulders, the two Huntsmen fell to their knees. They couldn't move and the two Atlesian Knights behind them crumpled like tin cans. A powerful gravitational pull prevented them from stopping Gray, who casually walked between them as if he was strolling through the park.

"This looks useful." Gray plucked one of the security key cards from one of their belts. He entered the elevator and pressed the key card onto a slot so that it would take him to the upper levels. He increased the pull of gravity on the two Huntsmen just before the doors closed.

The two Huntsmen were then crushed under an invisible weight.

The elevator hummed as it ascended towards the other levels where a battalion of Atlas military soldiers would be waiting for him no doubt. Gray cracked his neck and kept his eyes on the number of floors he was passing. When the elevator slowed to a halt, he prepared himself for the inevitable fight that would greet him.

However, he was surprised by the sight that awaited him as the doors slid open.

A small girl with hair that reminded him of ice-cream holding an umbrella smiled at him once he stepped out of the elevator. It was then that he noticed the number of dead guards at her feet.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be shrimp?" Gray asked the tiny girl. "Wait, you're kidding me. Cinder sent a midget to bust me out of here?"

She was obviously displeased by the comments on her height and she jabbed him in the gut with the end of her umbrella in retaliation.

He winced. "Okay, no more short jokes. I got it."

She harrumphed silently and gestured for him to follow. The tiny girl didn't wait for him to answer and began to walk away. Shrugging, he trailed behind her and surveyed the amount of destruction she brought upon the place. It was impressive.

"So you got a name or what?" He spoke.

She spared him a glance but said nothing.

"Alright fine, I'll just call you Ice-cream girl from now on." Gray decided.

He could see her shoulders rise and fall slowly as if she were sighing.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?"

She gave him a look that said. _Gee, you think?_

"Well Ice-cream girl, I can already tell that this is going to be a long flight back to Vale."

* * *

**And done! It took a lot longer than I thought it would to write this. My mind has been trying to cope with all the changes I'm going to have to make with all the new episodes coming out but I think I can manage it. Thought you guys might want a little bit of romance action since it's almost Valentine's day. And so my OC finally gets to have a little screen time. What do you guys think? Let me know in the reviews! Till next time. **


	13. Hectic

**Damn it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry about that. Crap ton of stuff happened and maybe I was still in shock of the Finale for RWBY. I mean damn they killed off one of my favorite girls and also showed another reason why I'm a bit frustrated with canon Jaune. They need to start developing his character as more than just the comic relief and the strategy guy (as showcased in their fight in the tournament). I know that not every character needs to be a great fighter and that he could also have a role as their strategist or whatever but COME ON! I was freaking happy for him for three seconds when Arkos finally happened but then Pyrrha just had to die. Jaune seriously needs to step up in the next volume.**

**But all that aside, I enjoyed the finale of Vol 3. It opened up new possibilities and questions that set up Volume 4 quite nicely. Can't wait to see how things pick up from there.**

**Alright I've ranted enough. RWBY belongs to the awesome people at RT and not me. Without further ado, I give you the next chapter.**

* * *

"Mr. Schnee, one of the Board members is trying to get a hold of you. Should I patch the call through?" His secretary inquired over the holographic screen floating above his desk.

"Very well," He knew that they would be having this discussion sooner or later. It would probably be best to get it over with.

"One moment please." His secretary said.

Her image on the screen was then replaced by a portly face of a man with a neatly trimmed moustache and beard.

"Schnee! What's the meaning of this?" The sour looking man demanded.

Silas schooled his features into a blank unreadable mask. "Would you mind being more specific, Mr. Bliz? I am not a mind reader."

"Don't play games with me boy!" Mr. Bliz barked. "What the hell do you think you're doing withholding that much Dust? We're losing business. Some of our clients have already contacted other suppliers. Our profit is steadily declining thanks to you!"

"With all due respect, I have reviewed our statements and the losses are insignificant." Silas replied evenly. However, he was slightly annoyed by being referred to as a mere boy. "Also, I was informed that the White Fang has been increasingly active these past couple of weeks and so I am doing this as a precaution to avoid more incidents like the train."

"Bah, don't give me that White Fang excuse because I'm not buying it." Mr. Bliz scowled. "We've doubled our security since that train car has been stolen five months ago. If you're truly worried about our shipment being stolen by those mongrels then I suggest we call in the help of General Ironwood to guard the Dust."

Silas had to suppress an irritated sigh. "I doubt that the General would appreciate being bothered with such a menial task."

And even if he did, he already knew who Ironwood would send to do the job. While he believed that his eldest daughter Winter was a capable warrior in her own right, Silas didn't want to drag her into this mess. He also didn't want to owe the good General any more favors in the future. No, he would handle this personally.

Mr. Bliz pointed a chubby finger at him. "You're walking on a dangerous tightrope Silas. I don't know what your angle is but for your sake I hope that it will not cost us more than it already has. The other Board members and I are becoming restless and soon we will have to act in whatever way we see fit to preserve the future of this Company."

"Until that day Mr. Bliz, I would suggest that you don't call again unless it is a matter of equal importance. Now, is there anything else you wish to speak with me about?"

The portly man scowled and abruptly ended the video call.

Silas slumped back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. This gamble was proving to be quite the nuisance. Not only did he have to keep track of all of the Dust that he was holding back, he also had to make sure that his father's company didn't completely go bankrupt from this venture. Being one of the richest and most influential men in the kingdoms was a taxing occupation. If people thought that all he ever did was drink champagne on yachts or private jets, then they were sorely mistaken.

It was times like these that he wanted nothing more than to go back to a simpler time. A time where he killed monsters, fought in tournaments, and fooled around with his teammates…

Opening a drawer on his desk, he took out an old photograph hidden under the files. It was slightly faded but he could still recognize the people in the picture. Four teenagers stood in front of the fountain that was found in Beacon's main courtyard. They were all looking at the camera with wide smiles plastered on their faces.

A boy with messy blonde hair had his arms draped over two of the others. To his left, a pretty girl with chocolate brown hair that was braided over one shoulder leaned her head on his shoulder slightly while she held up a peace sign. To the blonde's right was a boy with dark gray hair that was grinning mischievously at the camera, almost as if he was planning one of his infamous pranks. And of course, to the far left of the photograph stood a young man with white hair that was neatly combed over to one side. His arms were crossed but he was smiling just as brightly as any of the others.

_So much has changed since then._

He never would have thought that the boy in the picture would grow up to take over the largest company in all of Remnant. He also could have never imagined meeting the most amazing woman and becoming a father to two beautiful girls. Life was certainly full of surprises.

The intercom beeped again and his secretary appeared on the monitor. "I'm sorry to disturb you sir but-,"

"Let me guess," Silas said, rubbing his temples to ease the migraine that was starting to surface. "Another one of the Board members wishes to speak with me."

"Should I patch it through sir?" His secretary asked hesitantly, sensing his irritation.

"Alright," Silas grumbled.

"Silas, just what in the world do you think you're doing?"

And here comes the headache.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few thousand miles to the South, another Schnee was experiencing a similar headache but for different reasons.

"I swear it's like dealing with a bunch of children." Weiss muttered to herself.

"FREEDOM!" Four identical shouts were heard throughout the halls of Beacon academy as all of the students finished their last examinations for the day. Jaune, Ruby, Nora, and Yang had then proceeded to engage in a race back to their dorms with the youngest among them leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. The four of them disappeared around the next corner and continued to make a mad dash for the rooms to prepare for their respective outings to Vale.

"You get used to it after a while." Ren said. The four remaining members of each team chose to walk at a sensible pace.

Weiss just huffed. "Still, is it too much to ask for them to act a little more refined every once in a while?"

"Somehow, I don't think that will happen anytime soon."Blake said. "Have you met our teammates?"

"Fair point," Weiss couldn't deny the raven-haired girl's statement. The two sisters of team RWBY were undeniably the loud and boisterous half of their team that was balanced out by Blake and Weiss' calm and composed attitude.

"I can't say I blame them." Pyrrha said. "We finally get the chance to relax after studying non-stop for the past few days."

It was true, the last few days before the exams were extremely chaotic and stressful. The library had never been more packed than it was on the day before the tests as everyone attempted to cram whatever they could manage. However, Weiss was among the few who merely needed to brush up on a few topics before retiring to her room. The heiress was confident that she had studied well enough to get high marks on all of her subjects.

Unlike a few dunces she could mention…

She had to resist an exasperated sigh as she thought about how hopeless Jaune had been when it came to History. She had managed to help him catch up with all of his essays but he was still clueless when it came to remembering important dates, places, and leaders of different revolutions. Even when she tutored him, he was able to follow for a bit but would then get totally lost after thirty minutes.

Honestly, he was such a Dolt. However, now that she thought about it, Weiss realized that she had spent a large portion of her free time with him. Admittedly, she didn't have to tutor him personally and besides, Pyrrha got the same scores she did in tests so she could have easily taught Jaune. Yet, she had dragged him off to the library that day and all but stated that she would be his tutor.

Despite the blonde's inability to memorize some of Remnant's history, she actually found herself looking forward to the days when she had to tutor him…

_Stop right there! _She thought to herself once she realized her mind was going into uncharted territory. _There's no time for you to entertain such wild and far-fetched fantasies about a boy that aren't even true._

She was right of course. She couldn't afford any distractions now that the Vytal Festival was almost upon them. Students from the other Kingdoms would be arriving in a few weeks time and she had even heard rumors that a ship from Vacuo was scheduled to arrive today. Weiss intended to use this time to welcome the students who might have opted to come earlier. It was only appropriate since she was a student of Vale.

And if a little reconnaissance on their future competitors, oh right, "fellow Hunters in training" were to happen while they were already there….well that was entirely a coincidence.

* * *

An hour and a grueling airship ride to the city later, the two teams split up. Weiss had insisted that she and her team go to the docks for some reason. Her teammates could only shrug and follow the heiress after promising to meet up with his team later. If he were to be honest, Jaune was actually pretty thankful that they were going separate ways for now because unlike team RWBY, he and his team had some business to take care of.

"Alright the coast is clear, fearless leader." Nora dutifully reported once she was done scanning the area and made sure that no one could overhear them.

They were currently seated on a picnic table at one of the small parks in downtown Vale.

"What's this about Jaune?" Ren asked curiously. Pyrrha was also looking at him expectantly.

Instead of answering, the blonde reached into his pocket and took out a sleek looking object and placed it on the table for them to see.

"Is that a scroll?" Pyrrha said after inspecting the small device.

"A rather expensive looking one if I were to guess." Ren commented after picking it up and running a hand over the smooth black surface.

"I found it during our trip to the Forest of Forever Fall." Jaune told them. "I saw it laying on the ground next to some bushes on the way back to the airship."

"Big whoop, someone probably just lost it." Nora said in bored tone, she was clearly unimpressed by his discovery.

"Turn it on." Jaune prompted.

His three teammates shared a look and huddled closer together to see what the fuss was about. Ren pushed the button and the scroll slid open. The screen merely displayed a small holographic square, about the size of a thumb, in the middle. Deciding to go on a hunch, Ren placed his right thumb over what he presumed was a scanner.

"Denied," The scroll's computerized program said and the screen immediately flared red before turning itself off.

"You broke it Ren." Nora said once the boy placed it back on the table.

The martial artist frowned and ignored Nora's statement. "Obviously someone doesn't want anyone else to see what they have on this scroll."

"My thoughts exactly," Jaune agreed. "Our standard issue scrolls only have a simple typed password to keep it secure but this thing even has a damn fingerprint scanner. Whoever owns this scroll must have some pretty dirty secrets he doesn't want anyone to know about and I think I have an idea about who that person could be."

He could see that he had their attention so he decided to continue. "Remember the time I got caught fighting with Cardin?"

"Oh, we never forgot about it." Pyrrha said in an amused tone. Ren and Nora both cracked grins at that.

"That's not the point!" Jaune snapped. Geez, they're still giving him a hard time over that. "Anyway, when your weapons got stolen I was looking at the lockers and I didn't see any sort of damage at all which means that the thieves didn't force it open but merely unlocked it using this." He held up the scroll. "Now I suspected that it was Cardin at first but I seriously doubt that he could've managed to do something this complicated. So that only leaves me with three other possible candidates."

"His teammates," Pyrrha deduced.

Jaune nodded. "All four of them were there that night and they were with us when we went into the forest. The only problem is: I can't be sure which of the three owns this scroll."

"It could be Sky." Ren guessed. "Out of the four of them, he has the highest marks when it comes to schoolwork."

"Maybe, but I want to be certain." Jaune frowned in thought. "If someone took the time to put a fingerprint scanner on his scroll then you can bet he's very cautious. It might be Sky but if we're wrong and we confront him about it, then the real owner will know we have his missing item and it'll become even harder to find out who he is."

Nora raised her hand. "I have a question. What's so bad about it? Maybe they just don't want anyone to see their embarrassing photos or something."

"If it were only that then, believe me I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble." Jaune answered. "But whoever this guy is managed to hack into the lockers and stole our weapons. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid but what if he could also hack into the school's security system or into our records? He could look into our personal files, watch us through security cameras, intercept our messages, or even fabricate information. In other words, he's dangerous whether he knows it or not."

He let that possibility sink in for a moment. This person could do some serious damage if he chose to. The only problem was everything he had just said was all speculation. He couldn't be sure how dangerous this device is or who it belongs to until he could open the damn thing.

"Alright, I see your point." Ren spoke up first. "So how do we catch him?"

"Well, lucky for us, I know someone who's pretty good with gadgets himself." Jaune said. "He lived in our hometown until he moved to Vale a few years ago. All we have to do now is bring this to him."

"Ooh, this sounds exciting!" Nora exclaimed. "It's like we're detectives or something. All I need now is a pipe and a magnifying glass! You could be my sidekick Ren."

"Why am I the sidekick?" Ren raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ugh fine, you can be my partner." Nora said. "You be the good cop, I'll be the tell-us-everything-or-I'll-break-your-legs cop."

Jaune and Pyrrha could only laugh at the antics of their two teammates.

"Thank you Jaune." Pyrrha told him.

"Huh?" The blonde asked, clearly confused.

"You could have easily kept this from us and tried to find answers on your own." Pyrrha replied. "But instead you decided to trust us with this information so…thank you."

"Y-yeah, don't mention it." Jaune said as he averted his eyes. "I learned my lesson and you were right, I shouldn't keep secrets from my teammates."

He wasn't sure if it was the sincerity in her voice or the strange way she was looking at him that made it hard to make eye contact with her. This started happening a week ago ever since their hand-to-hand combat session. He didn't know what it was but for some reason, he felt slightly anxious whenever he spoke with Pyrrha. He was suddenly more conscious of himself whenever she was near and he had caught himself staring at her a couple of times for no reason.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he then stood up from his seat.

"We should get going. The person I want to see is just a few blocks from here." Jaune informed them.

"Yeah, and maybe if we finish early, we can grab some ice cream from Dairy King!" Nora said, excitedly.

"Sounds good to me," Pyrrha said.

"No objections." Ren said as the four of them started walking out of the park. "Although I have to ask Jaune, what's your acquaintance like?"

"Hmm, it's hard to describe him." Jaune shrugged. "But I hear he opened up a bookshop with a really clever catchphrase."

* * *

_The two cloaked figures moved swiftly and silently through the dense forest just as the first rays of sunlight were breaching the horizon. The larger of the two took the lead while his companion followed a few paces behind him, mindful of his footing so as not to make unnecessary noise. However, the small cloaked figure was not as skilled as his companion when it came to moving like a wraith._

_Proof of this was the fact that he had accidentally stepped on a twig and the sound of it snapping made him flinch._

"_Try and keep up squirt." The older man said softly over his shoulder. _

"_Yeah, yeah," A thirteen year old Jaune grumbled to himself. _

_The two of them had been tracking this deer for quite a while now. They were venturing deeper than they normally would have into the woods. Something must have spooked the creature if it wasn't at one of the many grazing areas that they had mapped out. It wasn't that hard to figure out what scared the animal considering the fact that they were already in Grimm territory._

"_I know I've asked this already but why couldn't I bring my sword again?" Jaune whispered as quietly as he could. The boy knew that his companion would have no trouble hearing due to his enhanced senses. _

"_You want to be a hunter, don't you?" The man replied just as softly without breaking his silent strides. "You won't always be fighting Grimm and criminals on a daily basis, you know. Sometimes you'll be sent out into the wilds just to scout the area or find people who managed to get themselves lost in the woods. To do that, you first have to learn how to track and read your surroundings as if you were reading a map."_

_The man turned to look at him and grinned, revealing his pointed canines. "You can always quit if you think you can't handle it."_

"_I think you're forgetting who you're talking to Tukson." The boy pointed a thumb at himself. "I'm going to be the best Hunter you've ever seen."_

_The burly Faunus raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."_

* * *

"Are you kidding me right now?" Jaune complained as he and his team stopped in front of a modest looking bookstore with a large sign above the door displaying "Tukson's Book Trade". Unfortunately for them, the shop was closed. There was a small note taped on the door saying that the owner would be out of town for a while.

"Just out of curiosity, how does a bookstore owner help us in this situation?" Ren asked their leader.

Jaune was trying to peek through the window to see if anyone else was inside. "He used to be our town's Chief Ranger before he moved out here."

"Ranger?" Pyrrha was unfamiliar with the term.

"They're kind of like cops from where I live." Jaune explained as he rattled the locked door handle. "They mostly handled search and rescue operations since we were surrounded by forests. They do detective work as well but not very often. I was hoping that maybe he could get a fingerprint off of this scroll."

The blonde let out a dejected sigh as he tried the door one more time but to no avail.

"I guess we should return some other time." Pyrrha suggested.

"Dairy King?" Nora turned to Jaune with her big puppy dog eyes.

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Alright, let's go."

"Yes! Come on Ren, delicious ice cream awaits us!" Nora, as per usual, grabbed her best friend by the arm and quickly dragged him off in the direction of the parlor.

Pyrrha would never be able to comprehend how the bubbly girl made everything, even something as simple as getting ice cream, sound so exciting. She shook her head in amusement and could see her partner sporting a small smile as well.

"Come on, we need to make sure that Nora doesn't go too overboard with sweets." Jaune told her as he started to walk after the two.

"That's the last thing anyone needs." Pyrrha agreed with a small laugh to which her partner joined in.

The two walked through the city at a slow pace. There was no real need to rush because they knew that all joking aside, Ren would watch Nora like a hawk and monitor the amount of sugar she eats so there was nothing to worry about. Besides, the three of them had already discussed contingency plans on the off chance that another "incident" happens but that was highly unlikely.

"The city sure is lively today." Jaune noted, breaking the silence between them.

It was true in the sense that Vale's citizens seemed to be bustling about more than usual. They saw a couple of guys on top of ladders that were hanging up streamers and banners. A few people were building what appeared to be floats that were going to be used in the parade on the sidewalk. Even a marching band was practicing with their instruments a few blocks from them.

Pyrrha nodded. "They're preparing for the Vytal Festival."

"Already? Isn't that still a few months away?" Jaune said.

"They probably want an early start." Pyrrha said. "After all, it's been how many years since Vale hosted the last Festival and they clearly want this year to be a spectacular event. The last one took place in Mistral and it was amazing. People from all over the Kingdoms came and were treated to dances, food, and battles. My family and I were able to get tickets for the tournament and it was truly an event to remember. I think a student from Beacon won that year but I forgot his name. You should have been there Jaune, there was this one match where…"

She trailed off as she realized that she had probably been blabbering away without meaning too. She saw her partner merely smiling at her and the redhead felt her face heat up in embarrassment. Not knowing what to do, she quickened her pace in the vain attempt to hide her red cheeks from him.

"Hey, wait up." Jaune said as he caught up with her. "What's wrong? I wanted to hear more about the matches."

"N-nothing's wrong. You probably don't want to hear me prattle on about more fights." Pyrrha said, still not able to fully meet his eyes.

Oh gods, why did this always happen to her? She was supposed to be Pyrrha Nikos, a confident girl who could face the toughest opponents, whether they were monsters or other fighters, and end up without a single scratch. She was called the Invincible Girl for a reason and yet she was reduced to a stammering mess whenever Jaune was near.

"Actually I do." Jaune said, in that earnest tone of his. "I wasn't able to watch the televised broadcast last time because we were visiting one of my older sisters in Vacuo. The signal was terrible, sandstorms kept messing up the frequency and it was over by the time we got home. So I wouldn't mind learning how the fights turned out."

"Well, if you're sure…"

After a brief moment of hesitation, she launched into a graphic play by play of the amazing tournament matches she was able to witness. He merely kept quiet as he listened and threw in comments every now and again. The more she talked the more Pyrrha felt at ease and before they knew it the conversation flowed from the Vytal Festival to other topics about themselves. Most of them ranged from unimportant details like Jaune's favorite movies or Pyrrha's preference for spearmint toothpaste.

Pyrrha wanted this moment to last a little longer but unfortunately for her, a monkey crashed into both of them from behind.

* * *

"What's taking them so long?" Nora asked impatiently as she and Ren stood in line to buy their ice cream.

"It's only been a few minutes Nora." Ren told her. "They would have been here if you didn't run ahead."

"But you guys walk soooooo slow. The ice cream would have melted by then." Nora stated.

Ren sighed. Sometimes there was no way to reason with his best friend. "Why don't you find a table for us Nora and I'll buy our ice cream so that we could wait for them."

"Alright, but remember…"

"Extra chocolate sprinkles, I know."

"Yup!" Nora said, popping the "p". She then walked outside the shop to look for a table. Most of them were occupied but she found one that could seat four people so she rushed over and plopped down on one of the chairs before anyone else could claim it.

Ren turned his attention back to the menu as he decided on his own order. He was debating on cookies and cream and rocky road. He also thought about whether he should already buy some for Pyrrha and Jaune but then the ice cream would probably be half-melted by the time they arrived so they would have to purchase theirs later.

He reached the counter a few minutes later and bought two double scoops, one of them with the requested extra sprinkles. The cashier thanked him and he made his way through the crowd of customers towards Nora's table only to find that the girl in question was gone.

"Nora?" Ren called out as he scanned the crowd in search of his friend.

Suddenly, he felt a strange tingle crawl up the back of his spine.

_Oh no._

He rushed outside the store and frantically looked around the street to see if he could catch a glimpse of the girl. He saw a flash of pink across the street and true enough, there was Nora talking to a woman that was carrying a tray of what looked like small mugs. Ren saw the woman offer Nora one of the mugs and she happily drank the contents in one go.

It was then that the martial artist realized that his partner was standing in front of a coffee shop. He paled when he saw the sign displayed out front: "Try our new strong espresso coffee to start the mornings! Now with extra caffeine!"

The woman out front must be giving out free samples which means….

Ren dropped the two ice cream cones as he watched Nora drink the last mug of the new coffee.

"AHAHAHA! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!"

An involuntary whimper escaped the raven-haired boy as Nora took off like a rocket down the street.

* * *

Monkey boy came out of nowhere and crashed into them just as they were taking a shortcut through the alley. He must have been running pretty fast since he knocked all of them, including himself, to the ground.

Jaune rose to his feet and Pyrrha did the same. "What's your problem, man?"

"Hide me!" The blonde guy pleaded as he nervously glanced back from the way he came.

The knight could hear voices heading towards them and they didn't sound very happy. They had maybe twenty seconds before whoever was chasing the Faunus caught up to him. He glanced at his partner and she just shrugged, not knowing what to do either.

"Alright fine," Jaune said, coming to a decision. He stepped next to a metal dumpster and opened the lid.

"Aw dude, that reeks!" The blonde Faunus complained as he tried to block out the smell of garbage. "I have a sensitive nose you know."

"Your choice," Jaune told him as the sound of approaching footsteps got louder by the second.

The blonde Faunus sighed before taking a deep breath and jumping into the dumpster. Jaune quickly slammed the lid shut just as two police officers rounded the corner and spotted them. The two teens tried to look as casual as possible.

"Hey, you kids see a blonde Faunus run through here?" One of the policemen with a rough beard asked.

"Yeah, he went that way." Jaune pointed down the other exit to the alley.

The two officers nodded in thanks before taking off again, chasing a nonexistent monkey Faunus. The two of them waited until the detectives were out of sight before banging on the side of the dumpster.

"You can come out now." Pyrrha informed him.

The lid flew open and the blonde Faunus jumped up and made a big show of gasping for fresh air.

"I'm not sure if I should thank you or strangle you." The Faunus said to Jaune. "Damn, I almost puked in there. I still might." He doubled over and made retching noises but thankfully, nothing came out. The two partners discreetly took a step away from the teen just to be safe.

The young knight was able to observe the newcomer as he rubbed his nose trying to rid the smell of garbage. He was roughly the same height as Jaune with a muscular build. He wore a white polo shirt that he left unbuttoned as well as some light blue jeans that were rolled up a bit from the bottom. Jaune might have mistaken him for a surfer if it weren't for the furry appendage swinging back and forth.

"Quick question: why were the police chasing you?" Jaune asked before narrowing his eyes.

The blonde Faunus finally stopped gagging from the foul smell and raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, hey it's not like I killed anybody! I may have thrown a banana peel on one of them when they rudely interrupted my snack time but that was it!"

Both Pyrrha and Jaune gave him a disbelieving stare and he added. "I may have also stowed away on a ship that came from Mistral."

"That's illegal." Pyrrha said, frowning at the monkey Faunus.

"Illegal is such a strong word." The Faunus said. "I prefer to use the term highly discouraged. Besides, I would have arrived here eventually with my team from Haven so why not come sooner?"

Now that caught Jaune's attention. Haven was the equivalent of Beacon located in Mistral. "You're here for the tournament?"

"Sure am! I thought I may as well scout the competition while enjoying the sights." The Faunus smirked. "And I can see from your weapons that you guys must be from Beacon."

He was apparently sharper than he looked, Jaune noted.

"I'm Jaune, and this is Pyrrha." The knight offered his hand and the blonde shook it as well as Pyrrha's.

"The name's Sun Wukong." Sun introduced himself. "I owe you guys one for the save back there. It would've been a pain in the ass to shake them. Now enough about me, where are you two lovebirds headed?"

Jaune felt his face flush a bit at the implication and Pyrrha quickly looked away, a hint of red dusting her cheeks.

"Uh, we're not actually dating." Jaune said and for some reason, he felt slightly disappointed about that fact.

Sun raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "Okay then, my bad. Hey, do you guys know a nice place to get some grub? I'm starving and the banana didn't really hit the spot. "

"We were just on our way to meet up with our teammates to eat." Pyrrha answered. "You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Lead the way."

The three of them were about to head off but Jaune's scroll started to beep, signaling a call. Jaune took out the device and received the incoming call from Ren.

"What's up?"

"Jaune, we have to hurry! She's headed for the North park. If you hurry, we can cut her off!" Ren's voice sounded urgent and it was clear that he was running due to his soft pants. "Code pink! I repeat, code pink!"

A groan escaped from the knight. "We're on our way."

He pocketed his scroll and rubbed his face. He had hoped that they would be able to avoid another incident like this one. Somehow, Nora got her hands on something caffeinated despite being with Ren. The last time this happened, she nearly tore down one of the courtyards at school because she was able to snag a soda from the vending machines when she was alone. Fortunately for them, Ms. Goodwitch was able to subdue her before things got too out of hand and she was able to restore the damage with little difficulty.

However, their professor wasn't with them now and it made the task even more daunting.

"Come on Pyrrha!" Jaune said as he took off in a sprint heading toward the park his teammate had specified. "Code pink."

The redhead's eyes went wide in horror. "Monty, help us."

"Whoa hold up. What's a code pink?" Sun asked as he fell into pace beside them.

"Nora." The two members of team JNPR said in unison.

* * *

A masked member of the White Fang crouched low amongst the bushes with two of his companions. A few meters in front of them stood a loading dock that was controlled by the Schnee Dust Company. Their mission today was simply reconnaissance.

"This is such a chore." The one with the lizard mask grumbled. "Why do we have to get stuck on watch duty? I'm sure Dog or even Gazelle would be more suited for this."

"Quiet, Gecko!" The member wearing a bear mask hissed. "This job is bad enough. I don't want to listen to your whining while doing it."

"I'm serious! I'm usually the guy who gets into buildings unseen." Gecko told him. "My skills are being wasted here. I don't have the patience for this crap!"

"If you want to tell that to the Lieutenant, then be my guest." The third member spoke up, already losing his patience.

Gecko wisely chose to keep his mouth shut after that jibe. The Lieutenant was someone you did not want to catch in a bad mood, especially when his chainsaw weapon was within reach. He wasn't Adam's right hand man for nothing.

"What do you think, Puma?" Bear asked him, handing him the binoculars.

Thanks to the heightened vision, Puma could clearly see all the workers in uniform bustling about. They appeared to be loading large crates into metal containers. The binoculars didn't allow him to read the labels on the wooden boxes but there was a large quantity of them, maybe ten or twenty containers of it.

"I can't be sure. It could be just another shipment of new tech." Puma answered.

"We have to be certain otherwise this whole operation would be a bust." Bear said, taking the binoculars back. "I spotted a good number of androids roaming the place."

"Yes, but you forget that this is facility is one of Schnee's." Puma reminded him. "Their security is always top of the line."

Bear grunted in agreement but spoke no more.

Torchwick had sent almost all of the members of the White Fang on similar operations such as this due to their lack of progress in Vale. The notorious criminal had them searching for facilities beyond the borders of the Kingdom. However, the SDC has been very smart lately in regard to how they were managing their Dust. A couple of shipments have even managed to slip past the White Fang's notice a week ago and it was driving Roman up the wall.

It was funny. It was almost as if someone was feeding information on the White Fang's movements.

Behind his Puma mask, Tukson couldn't help but smirk triumphantly.

So far, things are all according to plan.

* * *

Torchwick sat alone in one of the plush chairs in one of the warehouse offices. He had converted it into his personal lounge, complete with mini-bar and holographic television. Being a highly wanted criminal meant that he mostly enjoyed mornings and afternoons away from civilization since he couldn't very well stroll through the park in broad daylight. So this afternoon promised to be one of relaxation and he had appropriately lighted himself a cigar, inhaling the deeply before letting out a puff of smoke.

The warehouse was mostly empty save for the standard guards. With the rest of the White Fang hunting down Schnee facilities, there was nothing else to do but wait for reports.

"How very disappointing, Roman." A voice said from the doorway. The clicking of heels could be heard and the criminal quickly got to his feet.

A woman wearing a red dress that hugged her figure and left her shoulders and neck exposed entered the room. She had hair like coals and eyes like glowing embers. An appropriate description of her based on appearance alone would be smoldering hot, in more ways than one. But to the people who knew her and what she was capable of, she was someone to be feared and respected if you valued your life.

"Cinder, I didn't know you were coming." Roman said. "Where are you two sidekicks?"

"I had them run an errand for me." Cinder said with a casual tone as she gracefully claimed the couch Roman had previously been sitting on. She crossed her legs and even when she was sitting, she was still able to look down on him like a queen before her subjects. "Tell me something Roman, do you think I'm blind?"

The sudden question threw him off a bit. "What kind of question is that?"

"I asked because I seem to recall giving you a simple task." Cinder replied while casually inspecting her nails. "You even boasted that you would be able to acquire what I asked with no trouble at all and yet I fail to see what I have asked for. Either the large quantity of Dust that I've told you to get for me has turned invisible or it is simply not there because you did not deliver on your promise. Which is it, Roman?"

The criminal grit his teeth in frustration. She was toying with him. She knew that the operations weren't going as smoothly as he hoped and she was practically rubbing it in his face. The worst part about it was, he couldn't do anything but swallow his pride. Self-preservation was always top priority after all.

Suddenly, the two of them heard laughter coming from the room and they quickly turned to see another occupant standing in the corner. Roman could have sworn Cinder was the only other person in the room with him. Where the fuck did this guy come from?

"You were always so dramatic Cinder." The newcomer said.

The man was dressed in all black, from his shoes to his posh suit that must've cost a lot of lien. He was leaning on the wall with his hands in his pockets. His dark grey hair was neatly combed and an easy grin was plastered to his face. Roman was sure that he had seen his face somewhere before but couldn't remember.

"I didn't expect you until later this evening." Cinder addressed him.

The man shrugged. "I got bored. Thought I might swing by to see how things were going."

"I know you." Roman said, memories starting to surface. "You're the Hunter that went rogue a few years ago. The reports said you were dead."

"Don't believe everything you hear." The man said, swiping a bottle of wine from the cabinet next to him. "The council just loves to keep people in the dark." He poured himself a glass of rich red alcohol.

"Let's get down to business." Cinder announced, catching their attention.

"Whatever you say, Cindy," He said with a playful wink as he took a sip from his glass.

Roman's jaw dropped. Did this guy have a death wish or something? He was either brave or brain dead and the criminal was leaning toward the latter. He was sure that the guy was about to be incinerated on the spot but to Roman's even greater surprise, Cinder decided to ignore the comment and move on.

Who the hell was this guy?

"Gray and I have a history together." Cinder spoke as if reading Roman's mind. "That is all I will say on the matter. I would be more focused on your next task if I were you Roman."

"What task?" He asked.

"Oh, Cinder didn't tell you?" Gray approached, finishing the last of his wine. "I'm not surprised. Well long story short, you're going to be working under my command for a while. Just so we're clear, I give the orders and you follow to the letter. I say jump, you jump no questions asked. If you're even a toe out of line, I'll kill you on the spot. Got it?"

Roman could only nod because Gray's tone had turned from playful to sinister in a fraction of a second and left no room for wisecracks. Worst of all, the criminal had no doubt in his mind that Gray would follow through on his threat and he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

* * *

**And another chapter is done. Not much happens in this chapter but it's all setting up for events to come as I'm sure you've all noticed. I applaud anyone who was able to foresee Tukson's role in this ever since I left a tiny hint a few chapters ago. Well I can't promise when the next update will be up but hopefully soon. Until then, favorite, follow, and of course don't forget to review! **


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